


i give thanks for your existence

by intensecomplexity



Series: Hallelujah [1]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Action & Romance, Adoption, Creative License, Drama & Romance, F/F, Family, Family Drama, Gen, Introspection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-25
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:41:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 60,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21561655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/intensecomplexity/pseuds/intensecomplexity
Summary: You’re the work of God,a fatal mistake (masterpiece)I give thanks for your existenceSinging hallelujah,you got me singing hallelujah- hallelujah by Jonghyun---What do you do when someone comes into your life and changes it for the better?ORWhat if Emily did adopt a child during a BAU case? What kind of consequences will it have with the team, especially one particular agent? How will this teenager's presence help Emily resolve her feelings and possibly help JJ understand hers? When will JJ and Emily finally be happy?(note: I accidentally deleted my work when I meant to delete a couple of chapters, so I'm reposting everything again! Hurrah!)
Relationships: Jennifer "JJ" Jareau/Emily Prentiss
Series: Hallelujah [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1472243
Comments: 22
Kudos: 74





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> This is all under the pretense of many things:  
> 1) JJ married Will and bore Henry and Michael  
> 2) the team is comprised of Emily, JJ, Tara, Luke, Matt, Spencer, Penelope and Dave  
> 3) the majority of the story takes place in D.C.  
> 4) I'm using my creativity to bend some reality to fit this fiction  
> 5) my OFC/OCs are here to help JEmily out  
> 6) my love for Supergirl is so great that I'm borrowing some characters

It was almost out of this world. 

It was too beautiful to be _real_. 

Emily and JJ walked into the academy surprised to see how traditionally decorated it was. It was reminiscent of an old castle, something JJ made akin to Harry Potter. There was no doubt that the students enrolled there were from wealthy families based on how prestigious the academy appeared. Upholding the architecture and cleanliness of the grounds clearly needed extensive funds. Given their current case, they knew the person they were looking for had such funds to be enrolled in such a place. 

The two agents made their way through the front hallway and saw the sign pointing to the office. They were about to turn a corner when they saw a wall of awards, trophies and memorabilia on a wall. The academy took pride in its sports and education and displayed it for _everyone_ to see. 

“Can I help you?” a voice sternly asked, catching the two’s attention. 

Both Emily and JJ turned to the sound of the voice and saw an older woman with blonde, loosely curled hair appear near them. They could _feel_ rather than see the fiery aura, and possibly personality, the woman had and knew she was someone with authority in the academy. She also didn’t look like she was interested in continuing to have their presence there with how her arms were folded in front of her. The older of the two agents stepped forward and cleared her throat. 

“We’re here looking for a student; Serenity Song. We’d like to go to the office and inquire for her,” Emily calmly answered, hoping it would ease the woman’s defenses, but it seemed to only heighten it. The moment she mentioned the student’s name, it looked like the woman was ready to fight them, or at least call whatever security was in place to take them away. 

“What _business_ do you have with my students?” the woman questioned back with a snarl in her voice. It was evident that she would not give up Serenity Song without an appropriate reason.

That could be changed.

Emily looked over at JJ and they both pulled out their FBI badges, presenting them. They watched as the woman scanned them over, only to look back at them appearing more defensive than before.

“Come with me to my office,” the woman pointedly said.

The two agents put away their badges and followed the woman through the hallways into the lobby of the reception area of the front desk for the office. They went past the desk and immediately received and apologetic look from the secretary as they approached the door that read ‘Principal’ on it.

Of course, they _would_ have the luck of talking to the principal without knowing it.

The principal opened the door, allowed them in, closed it shut, and turned to the agents with a fierce look on her face.

“What does the FBI want with _my_ student?” the woman promptly asked. There was hostility in her voice, but there was a hint of protectiveness that didn’t go unnoticed by either agent.

“We only have a few questions to ask…” JJ paused to look around the office and saw the nameplate on the large wood desk. “Ms. Grant.”

“About _what_ exactly?” Ms. Grant questioned back. “Should I call her family?” she added, more so out of anger than concern.

“It would be best if we could talk to her soon about what’s going on because it concerns her family. If you could please let us see her, then this will be over as soon as possible.” Emily raised her brows and hoped her soft tone would be enough to get through the principal. It did its job when the other woman narrowed her eyes and glared at her.

“One wrong move, _agents_ , and I’ll make sure you face a lawsuit that will end your careers,” the principal stated as she opened the door again. “Sit down and do _not_ touch anything.”

Emily and JJ didn’t have a chance to reply when the woman walked out with a good solid shut of the door behind her. They sat on the sofa meant for visitors and started looking around the office, automatically analyzing the principal based on the room.

“Definitely not the kind of principal I had when I grew up,” JJ stated as she read the nameplate again. She didn’t have to when Garcia had pulled up the information on the academy before they arrived.

Principal – Cat Grant.

“I had the strict ones, but none of them were as protective as her,” Emily replied back. She saw how orderly everything was in the room, but one thing caught her eye that sat on Cat’s desk in plain sight. Perhaps not in direct sight of others, but it was in plain sight—a picture of Serenity Song.

How interesting.

“She was getting really pent up.”

“Yes; you would’ve thought we were here to see her daughter,” Emily answered with an intrigued tone in her voice. She thought back to what Garcia said when she pulled up all the information on Serenity Song and remembered the girl wasn’t related to Cat Grant, but it was clear they had a strong bond. That _picture_ was evidence of that.

“Are we doing the right thing coming here to see her while the rest of the team goes to her family?” JJ questioned, turning to the older agent.

Emily bit the inside of her cheek because that was her call. She released her cheek as she turned to meet the blonde. “We needed to talk to them separately before they could come together and corroborate on a story. We’re meeting with Serenity first before the rest of the does anything, anyway. All we have to do is _do this_ quickly, but thoroughly.”

JJ nodded, but it was obvious that something was nagging at her. “Is it fair to be asking her of this?”

Emily stayed silent and turned away. How was she supposed to answer that? How would she answer a question regarding a teenager to her friend who had children of her own? She didn’t know, and no amount of empathy would be able to help her give a _right_ answer. All she could do was reach out and place a hand on JJ’s knee, gently squeezing it.

She didn’t have to stay silent for too long when the door opened and Cat returned with a tall dark-haired girl in a black and red uniform, carrying a backpack. She and JJ stood up at their arrival, only to receive another glare from the principal. That was a warning.

“I’ll leave you three alone,” Cat started, “but if you decide to leave the grounds with her, you tell _me_ first, understood?”

The three of them nodded as the door closed once more, but this time with a gentle shut.

Now that Serenity Song was with them, she was looking at them with curiosity. Emily motioned for the girl to sit down in the chair across from them. Once she was seated, she and JJ took their seats again and smiled.

“Hello, Serenity, we’re Agents Emily Prentiss and Jennifer Jareau from the FBI and we’d like to talk to you for a few minutes,” Emily introduced as she pulled out her badge for the girl to see. She could see from her periphery that JJ did the same. She saw the girl’s curiosity turn into a subtle fear. What that fear was of, she wasn’t sure, yet.

“Hello, what can I do for you?” The girl’s posture was rigid and far from relaxed now. How well was she going to cooperate? “Did I do something wrong?”

“Not that we’re aware of,” Emily answered, pulling a small baggie with a piece of paper inside from the pocket of her blazer. “We were wondering if you recognized this symbol.” She placed it onto the coffee table and passed it over to Serenity to see.

The girl looked it over while the agents looked over her. Emily and JJ could see that Serenity recognized it and it was clear in the girl’s eyes just how familiar she was with it.

“Yes, it was my dad’s tattoo,” Serenity answered, returning the item across the table. “What is this related to?”

“We’re investigating the current string of bombings and robberies taking place. They all had that symbol left behind as a crime signature,” JJ answered with some reluctancy, taking the baggie and handing it to Emily. She looked at the teenager and saw the intense fear in her face.

“You think I might have had something to _do_ with this?” The girl looked at them with wide, disturbed eyes.

“No, but we believe—” Emily stopped talking as a cellphone started to go off. All eyes went to Serenity and she, too, looked surprised at the sound. The girl quickly fished her phone out of her backpack, unsure as to why it was ringing.

“Hello? What?! Wha—Leo? _Leo_!”

Emily furrowed her brow when she heard the name. Leo—Leonardo Robertson—was Serenity’s brother; why was he calling her during school hours? Why did Serenity look rattled?

“What game are you playing at?!” Serenity exclaimed, standing from her chair and pointing at the two agents.

“What are you talking about?” JJ asked, taking to her feet in confusion. “We aren’t playing games, Serenity; we’re here to talk.”

“To talk or distract me while you went after the rest of my family?” Serenity shot back in frustration. “My brother called and he just said that my mother and sisters were just arrested.”

Emily pulled out her phone as it immediately vibrated in her pocket during their conversation. She saw a text message from Garcia. The team was standing off at the Robertson household.

“JJ, we have to go—” she started, ready to walk away only to stop when Serenity blocked her way. She looked up at the taller girl and pursed her lips. “Serenity…”

“No, you do not get to come here and just leave like this. I am going with you! This does _not happen_ while I get left in the dark,” Serenity firmly stated, silently challenging the older agent. She refused to be left behind while her family was being taken away.

Emily took all of three seconds to determine if it was a good idea and it led her to one answer, “Let your principal know you’re coming with us.”

“Wait, she’s _what_?” JJ asked in utter disbelief.

Emily watched as Serenity gathered her backpack and start to leave without them. She turned to JJ and nodded without a doubt in her decision. “She’ll stop the standoff.”

“And you’re _sure_ about that?”

“I’m only as sure as the next person,” Emily answered, following after the girl.

\---

It took one clipped explanation from Serenity for Cat to allow them to leave all together. It took all of JJ’s willpower to not question Emily’s judgment before they returned to their SUV. She had no clue why Emily would allow such a call, especially one that involved a minor.

Hotch may have done the same, but this was a different situation. Hotch was no longer chief and their minor was a genius. Perhaps, it was maternal instinct that nagged at her conscience. All she knew was that her heart raced at the idea of bringing Serenity to a possibly dangerous situation.

If something were to happen, how would she let herself be okay in the end? How would she let Emily get away with the calls she’d made so far? Could she forgive Emily if something occurred?

“If something happens to my family, I won’t forgive you!” Serenity called out.

If something _did_ happen, could Serenity ever forgive them?

Could they forgive themselves?


	2. Two

Tension filled the SUV as they arrived to the Robertson household. JJ pulled out her gun, so did Emily, and told Serenity to stay put in the vehicle while they scouted out the situation. She had no idea what to expect and hoped Emily’s decision to bring Serenity along wouldn’t jeopardize whatever was happening at that very moment.

They went through the house to find it clear and saw the backdoor open. They heard voices in the backyard and with Emily leading the way, made their way there. They found the rest of the team with the police surrounding whom they realized was Leonardo Robertson backed against a huge oak tree. They went in with their guns pointed at the man and saw him pointing his gun at them.

“Leo, what in fresh hell are you doing?!”

So much for having Serenity stay in the SUV.

JJ looked over her shoulder and found the teenager right behind her with disbelief covering her face. She turned back to Leo and saw him flinch at the question. Or could it have been simply from the sight and sound of Serenity?

“Serena—they just appeared and I freaked out when they arrested everyone,” Leo answered back, still holding his gun firmly in his hand.

“So, you decided to do this?” Serenity questioned.

JJ could see Emily step forward out of her periphery and raise her hands.

“Leo, look at _me_ ,” the unit chief called out. “My name is Emily and I’m going to put my gun away. Just look at me and let’s talk, okay? You don’t need to panic.”

JJ saw Leo’s eyes were on Emily, but she didn’t realize someone else’s eyes were on the woman as well. As soon as Emily was about to holster her gun, it was snatched out of her grasp.

“Serenity!” she called out in absolute shock. She watched as the girl moved to the front lines, holding the gun expertly at her brother with no doubt in her posture. Her eyes widened when she saw Leo reflexively move at the sudden action, leading him to point his gun at his sister.

“Are you _trying_ to make me shoot you?!” Leo shouted in panic and worry.

“Are you _trying_ to get yourself killed?” Serenity asked back just as loud.

JJ saw Emily try to approach the girl, but noticed that Leo saw it, too. His gun wavered ever so slightly in Emily’s direction and it made her tighten her hold on her own gun. One wrong move and a shot would be fired.

From whose gun?

_I won’t forgive you!_

JJ winced at the sound of Serenity’s voice in her head.

“If you’re going to do something hasty, Leonardo, then so am I,” Serenity said, still holding Emily’s gun. “Now, would you like to put your gun down and talk like civilized people?”

JJ turned to Emily and wished she had a better clue on how to approach the situation. She wished _Emily_ would do something about the situation at hand. Every time she heard someone call for a clear shot, Emily would deny every single one of it. Things took a dangerous turn; something had to change.

“What are we doing, Emily? This is dangerous,” she softly called out to the unit chief.

“We let them talk it out and intervene when we need to,” Emily answered back just as quietly.

The younger agent looked around the backyard and saw all of the guns drawn. There were a dozen guns drawn between the team and the police. This was a serious situation and as much as she trusted Emily, this was something a unit chief might regret allowing.

“You’re still a child, Serena; put the gun down!”

JJ swallowed at Leo’s works and looked at Serenity’s uniformed back. The man was right. According to what Garcia pulled up, Serenity was only sixteen, but a graduating student at the academy. She was a brilliant student, but she was still a _child_ and this _child_ looked far too familiar with having a gun in her grasp. It wasn’t right.

“It was you and dad who taught me how to use a gun!” Serenity retorted back. “This is the last time I’m saying it; put the down so we can talk. This isn’t a game, Leo!”

“I _know_ , but I can’t let go—I _can’t_!” Leo exclaimed, visibly distressed.

“Can’t or won’t?” Serenity questioned. “ _Leo_ , dad wouldn’t want us to be doing this! Don’t do something we’ll both regret!”

“Emily…” JJ called out in concern. The two were headed toward the tipping point.

“Not yet, JJ.”

_Not yet?_

JJ couldn’t believe her ears. Why were they not intervening, yet?

“Dad might not want us to be doing this, but he’s the reason why we’re doing this!”

“What are you talking about?” Serenity asked in confusion.

“Dad—He didn’t mean to take your parents away,” Leo promptly answered. “He did some bad things, but killing people was not something did! We didn’t do whatever it is they told you!”

Things were escalating and JJ was more than worried. She looked at the unit chief and saw her remain unmoved. She couldn’t keep quiet; something had to be done.

“Serenity, don’t listen to him! Just put the gun down and Leo might do the same,” JJ called out, but it fell on deaf ears.

“What are you talking about? My biological parents died in a car cr…ash,” Serenity trailed off and her hold on Emily’s gun loosened ever so slightly.

“Yes, he crashed into you, but he didn’t mean it. It was horrible weather and he tried to save all of you, but he could only save you. Your parents made him promise to take care of you, so that’s why we adopted you.”

JJ could only imagine how Serenity’s world was unravelling before her with this revelation. She could only imagine what kind of turmoil that was beginning to brew in the girl’s mind. Was this supposed to be happening?

“We _fixed_ ourselves for _you_!” Leo explained.

“Then, why is all of this happening?! Why are the FBI arresting all of you?!” Serenity shouted back, incredulously.

“I don’t _know_! Someone’s copying us! We stopped years ago! You have to believe me! We may have done bad things in the past, but we have _never_ killed anyone!”

A confession.

Serenity gripped her gun and shook her head, saying evenly, “No one changes that easily.”

Three shots were fired and JJ flinched when she realized it came from in front of her. It came from Serenity. She expected to see Leo down on the ground, needing immediate medical attention, but instead he was quickly scooped up into a net that led him to drop his gun. He was finally incapacitated.

JJ and Emily went in as soon as Serenity dropped her arms and began to stumble backwards. JJ caught the girl in her arms while Emily retrieved her gun, holstering it. The two looked at the girl and saw tears running down her face.

“You’re okay, it’s over,” Emily softly said, placing a hand on Serenity’s upper arm.

“The idiot was waiting for me to shoot the tree for the net, but I guess he wanted to say some things,” Serenity quietly said as she tried to steady herself on her feet. She wiped her face free of tears and took a few deep breaths.

“JJ, keep an eye on her while I find out what’s happening over there,” Emily instructed, leaving the girl in the other agent’s capable hands.

“The release is on the tree,” Serenity called out as Emily walked away.

“You’re okay, Serenity,” JJ reassured.

“Am I? My family is going to be locked up and I have no one who’ll take me in, so explain to me how I’ll be okay,” Serenity whispered back. “You heard my brother give an indirect confession, it’s over for them.”

“We’ll figure something out, okay?”

They had to.

\---

When they returned to the precinct, Emily and JJ brought Serenity with them. The girl was told to pack a bag of her belongings with the house now being investigated after Leo’s partial confession in the backyard. The team continued to work on finding where the unsub would be and who the next target was, but Emily was fixed at the window of the conference room.

“I know that look,” JJ softly commented, stepping in beside the unit chief to see where she was looking. This was not what she had in mind. “We can’t do anything for her while we’re on a case.”

Emily pressed her lips tightly together and shook her head. “I have my ways, JJ.”

“Emily…” the blonde warned.

It was too late. Emily Prentiss was walking out of the room as soon as a worker from Child Protective Services arrived and headed in Serenity’s direction. She reached the girl first and intercepted the worker to introduce herself.

“Hello, I’m Supervisory Special Agent Emily Prentiss with the FBI,” she said, extending a hand to the other man.

“Hello, I’m Paul Sears from Child Protective Services; here to see Serenity Song,” Paul greeted with a smile, taking the woman’s hand and firmly shaking it.

“I would like to discuss something with you regarding Serenity,” Emily stated, earning a nod from the man.

“What is it, Agent Prentiss?”

“Can she stay with me for the time being?” Emily immediately asked, surprising Paul right off the bat, including Serenity. “I know I’m asking for a lot, but I would like to keep her in my stead while this case is going on should she be a target of what is happening.”

Emily could see the hesitation on Paul’s face and knew it was going to be a tough sell. The odds were generally against her favour, so only divine intervention could save her. She remained calm and knew she would have to rely on her negotiation skills, and possibly her connections, to get through this conversation.

“Agent Prentiss, there are protocols and procedures for this; I can’t simply hand you a minor simply by request,” Paul explained, waving a hand over at Serenity. “There are too many legalities involved.

“I’m willing to go through all of it to gain some kind of custody of her. We wouldn’t want her getting caught further in this case,” Emily stated with firm resolve. She could see him wavering and knew she was making ground.

“If you can find us a room to speak privately in, I can make something temporary work.”

Emily turned around to the conference room and knew she needed everyone to leave.

\---

JJ watched with great intent as Emily worked with the man from Child Protective Services and wondered why the woman was so keen on taking Serenity in. This was different from the case all those years ago when Emily wanted to take in another girl; Serenity wasn’t a helpless young teenager.

“She knows what she’s doing,” Rossi stated, moving in by JJ as they looked into the conference room from further out in the precinct.

“Does she? We’ve only met Serenity today and it wasn’t a great meeting. I’m honestly surprised Serenity isn’t stopping her,” JJ replied back, turning to the older man. She knew Emily to be poised and not to be so driven by her emotions, so this was quite unlike her.

What was going on?

“Emily isn’t someone who will jump without a reason, so give her the benefit of the doubt with this one.”

How could she do that when her decisions did not seem sound the entire day? From taking Serenity along to the standoff, to letting the standoff escalate, and now trying to take custody of Serenity? What was going through Emily’s head?

She knew Emily had her reasons, but she couldn’t shake off the feeling that maybe they weren’t good enough reasons. Things moved so quickly and without significant thought, it began to bother her. She only hoped that Emily knew what she was doing and that she wasn’t leaping head first without knowing where she was going to land.

“Do you think Serenity would stop her when everything she knew has been ripped out from under her?”

JJ looked at Rossi and began moving over to where Serenity was seated. She smiled at the girl and sat beside her.

“How are you holding up?” she asked.

“I guess I’m okay,” Serenity started, “but is it okay for Emily to try and get custody of me when you’re all still working? She said something like I might be a target in this case… Is that true?”

The agent looked over her shoulder to find Emily sparing glances at her every so often. Was that what she said?

“Oh, god, please don’t tell me you’re not on the same page,” Serenity quietly said, attracting JJ’s attention again. “I don’t want her to get caught up in something bad if she takes me in.”

JJ reached out and placed a hand Serenity’s knee. “She’s doing what’s best for you and we have to respect that. For as long as I’ve known her, Emily Prentiss has a plan for everything, including you, even if it’s impromptu.”

She saw the concern on the girl’s face and was worried she didn’t believe her.

“I don’t want anymore friction between you two,” Serenity whispered, surprising JJ.

“What do you mean?”

Serenity blinked a few times at her. “You were questioning her decisions the entire time today. You must have pulled up information on me before meeting me, so you must know about my high IQ—I’m a genius, observant, and I have very clear hearing.”

JJ chuckled and patted the girl’s knee. “You’re okay, Serenity; you’re not creating _friction_ ,” she said.

“Okay… if it changes, just… tell me. I don’t want to be the cause of strain for her workplace relationships and relationships, in general.”

The sincerity had JJ feeling guilty.

“You won’t be… you won’t be,” that’s what JJ tried to believe in.

\---

“That’s it.”

Emily raised her brows and looked at Paul, then at her watch. It had been an hour. “That’s it?”

“For now, at least,” Paul said. “This is only for temporary custody, Agent Prentiss; we haven’t looked at anything beyond that.”

Emily nodded and stood as Paul did. “Thank you.”

“Make due on your promise to protect her and we’ll be good,” Paul replied, extending a hand out.

“Understood,” Emily said, taking the hand and firmly shaking it. She shook the worker’s hand and took the copies of paperwork she signed, then made her way over to Serenity.

“You know, you didn’t have to do that,” Serenity softly said, looking up at the agent who moved to sit beside her.

“I did, actually,” Emily replied back. “I wasn’t going to let you float in the system until you aged out, and I also wanted to make sure you wouldn’t become a target for whoever is doing this.”

“If you say so, agent,” Serenity said with a chuckle only to fall silent a moment later.

“What is it?”

“I wish we had a better meeting than earlier when I accused you of thing… and for stealing your gun,” Serenity ended in a whisper.

“Well, we can have a better meeting tonight when we go back to my place and get you situated.” Emily smiled when she received a nod and what looked like a small smile from the girl.

“ _Is_ this going to be temporary?”

“Only as temporary as you want.”


	3. Three

Life was full of unexpected surprises, even if Emily did this one unto herself.

Taking custody of an unknown teenager whose adoptive family had a criminal record was definitely not on her list of things to do that morning. Taking said teenager home was also not on that list, either. What _was_ on the list was to do more work on the current case, potentially locate the unsub, and hopefully finish the case. _That_ was how the day was supposed to go; smoothly and almost routinely.

Emily silently mused to herself at how her life was always full of complications and surprises, one way or another.

“Make yourself at home; what is mine is yours,” the unit chief announced as she unlocked and opened the door to her apartment. She walked in and stepped aside, allowing Serenity in. Unconsciously, she held her breath as the girl tentatively stepped inside, only to take her shoes off before looking around the large open space. “You can keep your shoes on, I don’t mind.”

Serenity turned to her with a sheepish smile. “I’ve never been fond of having shoes inside the house. Who knows what you’re bring in from out there, right?”

Emily chuckled and couldn’t help but nod in agreement as she slipped off her own shoes and left them by Serenity’s near the door. She closed the door and started to wave her arm around to every area of her home. “This is the living area with a great view of D.C., my kitchen and dining area, and the stairs that lead to two bedrooms upstairs.”

“This isn’t a loft?” The space’s layout surprised the teenager.

“I opted for a two bedroom with the intent of making the second bedroom a study, but since I’m almost never here… it turned into a guest room,” Emily simply explained. “There are takeout menus in a drawer in the kitchen island, so feel free to pick one and order dinner for us while I go change the sheets in your room.”

Serenity reached out for her before she could leave. “Let me help you with the sheets; it’s the least I could do for imposing on you like this.”

The agent softly smiled and placed a hand over Serenity’s that was on her arm. “You’re not imposing because you are my guest. Come on, we can change the sheets together, then we can choose dinner. Sound good?”

Serenity nodded with a small smile on her face.

Together, they headed upstairs to the guest room which Emily presented. It was spacious with its own great view of D.C. from the floor to ceiling windows installed. There was a dresser, a simple wooden desk, and a door to what was expected to be the closet. Emily saw the girl place her duffel bag on the floor by the dresser and take in the sight before her.

“I may have also used this room as storage, so there are five sets of sheets and comforters in the closet behind you. You can choose which one you’d like to use while I toss these into the washer,” she announced. She folded the blanket into a bundle and made her way to the washer down the hall. When she returned to the room, she found Serenity holding a package of burgundy sheets while a bag of a pale grey comforter sat by her feet.

Burgundy was a colour she had to keep in mind.

Together, they removed and folded the old sheets that Emily carried to the washer. As she made her way down the hall, she couldn’t help but think that it would be an adjustment having another person in her home. Hopefully, it would be a good addition. What she suddenly hoped for was that she wasn’t harbouring the potential unsub of the case.

“You forgot the pillow cases.”

“ _Whoa_!” she exclaimed in surprise when she heard Serenity’s voice right behind her. She turned around and found the girl apologetically smiling at her while holding said pieces of fabric in the air. “Don’t do that again, please.”

“Sorry.”

Emily took the pillow cases and tossed it with the sheets into the washer with the comforter. She turned back to the girl and tried to calm her racing heart.

Maybe this was a bad idea.

Bringing someone home without getting to know them… probably something she should have thought over.

Especially given the circumstances.

They returned to the room and replaced the sheets with the new ones. It took little time, although Emily did have to pause when a pillow flew at her and hit her head.

“ _Sorry_ , I thought you were looking when you asked for it,” Serenity squeaked out.

Emily wasn’t entirely sure how to take that statement, but she laughed it off and wrapped the case on the pillow. When they placed the comforter on the bed, she felt an odd sense of accomplishment. She turned to the girl and motioned to the dresser.

“It’s yours to use.” She earned a silent nod from the girl and watched her unpack the few belongings she had into the first two drawers of the dresser. “We’ll have to go back and get the rest of your things soon.”

“You’re assuming I’m staying for the long-term, Agent Prentiss,” Serenity joked as she left some things in her bag. There was a half-smile on her face, but it was rather a sad one. “I don’t know if you’d be able to keep me if some estranged relative shows up and whisks me away.”

Emily frowned and wasn’t particularly happy with that thought.

“I guess you have uncles, aunts, or cousins who could take you in, huh?” she asked.

“None that actually want to have anything to do with us,” Serenity answered. “I guess they knew about the dark business my family had and chose to stay away. Biologically, I tried looking for my relatives, but they weren’t fond of me or the path my parents chose before they died, so the Robertson’s were my only family,” she continued. “There are times I wondered what it would be like to have a huge family dinner, but having mom, dad, and my siblings were more than enough.”

Emily pulled the girl over to her and wrapped an arm around Serenity’s shoulders. “I can’t promise you a huge family dinner tonight, but I _can_ promise you a huge family dinner with the team, if you’d like.”

There was a shy smile on Serenity’s face. “I think I’d like that.”

“Good, now let’s go downstairs and go through the takeout menus,” Emily said, squeezing Serenity’s shoulder. “I’m sure you’re hungry.”

“Yeah, I am,” Serenity replied back as she was being led back downstairs to the kitchen.

As Emily rifled through the drawer for the menus, she heard some rummaging coming from the direction of her refrigerator. She looked over her shoulder to find Serenity going through it with quite some intent. As soon as she saw the girl start to pull things out, she stopped looking for the menus and turned around to watch.

Serenity pulled out vegetables and placed them on the kitchen island beside her. Next, a small case of beef followed, and bottles that looked like they were meant to be mixed for a sauce. Amused, she allowed Serenity to do what she wanted.

“Do you have any noodles?” the entranced girl asked, closing the refrigerator door.

“Pantry is beside the fridge.” Emily couldn’t bite back the grin that crept on her face as Serenity truly made herself at home and easily navigated the space. She watched as the girl came back with a package of pasta, but stopped at the dining area to remove her blazer. She could see a small smile on Serenity’s face as she came back with her sleeves rolled up and pasta in hand. “What are we making, chef?”

The title seemed to perk the girl up even more as she grinned and pulled out a cutting board from the side of the kitchen island. She was quite observant.

“How do you feel about noodles and stir fry for something quick and easy?” Serenity asked.

“Perfect!” Emily exclaimed, reaching for the case of beef. “Here, let me cut up the meat,” she said, retrieving another cutting board.

“I can’t believe you nearly had us have takeout when your fridge was still stocked,” Serenity commented as she began chopping vegetables.

“I wasn’t keen on cooking and I wasn’t sure if you wanted to cook,” Emily replied back, slicing some meat. She looked at the girl and saw how proficient she was with a knife. The thought of danger crossed her mind again. The thought must have shown on her face with how Serenity was looking at her.

“I love to cook since mom let me help her out in the kitchen since I was a child. Then, I was a little obsessed with The Food Network and seeing how professional chefs can work with knives and cook so quickly, and so well… I was enrolled into summer cooking classes. Next thing I knew, I was making dinner for the family almost every night, which I didn’t mind. _They_ minded because the grocery bill was a bit extravagant at times.”

“I can only imagine how grand your holiday meals were,” Emily said, finishing her bit of work. She heard a chuckle and looked up to see Serenity grinning.

“Holidays—no one was _allowed_ in my kitchen. Prep would start two nights before, so at least everyone could eat and not disturb my process before the holiday, but really no one was allowed in _my_ kitchen unless it was to grab a snack.”

“Do you plan on going to culinary school after high school?”

Serenity stopped chopping and placed her knife on the cutting board. “I’ve thought about it, but it’s more of a hobby than something I want to have a career in. I’ve thought a lot about possibly going to med school, but maybe the FBI might have a spot for me.”

Emily chuckled and shook her head. “You need a degree to get into the FBI, so we can talk about that once you’ve got another school on hand.”

“I’ve got a few places that I need to answer,” Serenity replied.

“A _few_ sounds like a lie.”

“Maybe more than a few,” Serenity answered back.

Emily raised her brow and smirked. “Maybe we can get Spencer to help you pick a school since both of you have brilliant minds.”

“Spencer?”

“Oh, Spencer Reid is the genius of the team and—I should really just invite the team over for dinner ASAP so you can meet them, shouldn’t I?”

Serenity thoughtfully nodded. “Yes, yes, you should.”

\---

It was strange, but welcomed, to be sharing dinner with someone after a long day of work like this. She did have another person in mind, but who she was with at that moment mattered the most then and there. To Emily, now was the perfect time to know who she was sharing her food and home with.

“So, you must be quite the student at the academy if your principal was ready to come clawing at JJ and I for seeking you out,” Emily said, eyeing the girl across from her. She saw Serenity pause mid-bite and raised a brow. “Serenity?”

“I would love to say Ms. Grant is all bark and no bite, but that would be a lie,” Serenity replied back, slowly eating. Once she swallowed, she looked at Emily with a wry smile. “I should have been in university by now, but I chose to slow it down because I like the academy. Sticking around did allow me to experience high school life… and make the academy popular.”

“Now, you’ve piqued my interest, Miss Song.”

Serenity laughed and a content smile crept on her face. “I excel in my studies… and I excel in sports. I’m the captain of the basketball and volleyball varsity teams. I also run track,” she explained.

Emily chuckled. “I’m supposing your great aim helped in the former of the two sports?” She saw the girl blush and nod. “And I doubt your principal would ever want to give you up.”

“Many post-secondary institutions were calling her to take me away, but she refused all of them—with my knowledge. Ms. Grant and I are close—babysitting her son over the years does that,” Serenity confessed before returning to stuff her face.

Emily smiled and began to eat. She had an interesting one at her table. Ms. Grant would be someone to talk to over time, if needed.

“Emily?”

“Yes?”

“The Robertson’s aren’t bad people, are they?” Serenity quietly asked, looking at her food.

“You would be the best judge of that, Serenity; you grew up with them.”

“I only know a fraction of their lives,” Serenity replied back.

Emily put down her cutlery and realized what was going on. “You’re worried about what your brother said.”

“He essentially confessed to his crimes and it seems like my mother and my sisters have, too. It always made me wonder why Leo and I had a 23-year age gap—why a family already established wanted to adopt me, but I guess I know why now.”

“Finding out this way wasn’t ideal, but did you ever feel like something was different about them? That something was up?” Emily asked, her profiler side unintentionally coming up.

“No, I always felt like I was part of their family. I felt like we were part of the status quo save for me being a prodigy. I never expected anything like this—robberies, crime—the FBI looking for them.”

“Then, they truly changed for you, especially your father.”

Serenity smiled. “Edward was always kind to me and treated me like I was truly his daughter. It never occurred to me _why_ he was acting that way. He always did favour me over Leo, but that could’ve been out of guilt.”

“Favouritism is a difficult subject and I bet you know that, but he could have truly loved you for who you were. Needless to say, I think he would’ve been proud for what you did today and saving your brother.”

“I have you to thank for bringing me along and not stopping me when I took your gun,” Serenity mused.

Emily sighed and looked away. “I’m sure everyone will have words to say to me about my decisions today.”

“Especially, Jennifer,” Serenity muttered under her breath.

“What was that?” Emily asked, raising a brow. She swore she heard something about JJ.

“We should eat before the food gets cold.”

The unit chief shook her head and picked up her cutlery.

Teenagers.


	4. Four

The next day ended as fast as it started when the case practically closed itself. It was during the middle of breakfast when Emily received the call from Rossi. He told her the rest of the team had split up to speak with each member of Serenity’s adoptive family and received full cooperation from them for their investigation. For the Robertson family, this meant fully confessing to the crimes they committed in the past. For the BAU, it gave them enough information that they were able to narrow down the next locale of the bombing.

That was when Emily had to leave.

She was glad Serenity didn’t ask about the phone call because she didn’t know if she wanted the girl to know her family confessed to all their past crimes in order to help the team.

Now, with the day over, it also meant something else was coming to a close. JJ didn’t want to be _that_ person who pointed it out, but everyone else had left the precinct, leaving her behind with Emily. She thought about letting _it_ pass, but as a friend, she couldn’t

At least, she thought she couldn’t.

Emily was important to her.

More than she dared to think about.

So, she mustered up her courage and approached the not-so-empty conference room, closing the door behind her.

“Hey, Emily,” she called out, catching the other woman’s attention. There was a smile on the older woman’s face which in turn made her smile, but it also made her heart break.

“Hey, I thought you left with the rest of the team,” Emily responded back as she slung her bag over her shoulder. “What is it?”

JJ’s bravado fell and she faltered, completely unprepared for this conversation. Instead, she took a deep breath and went on. “What happens to Serenity now?” She saw the way Emily’s smile weakened.

“What do you mean?”

“Is Serenity going to stay with you now that the case is over?” JJ asked, but it felt like it was the wrong question to ask. She watched as the other woman deflate at her words and it made her feel awful. She didn’t want to be the one who burst the bubble, but reality had to sink in sooner than later.

That reality meant Serenity leaving Emily.

“I’m going to do what is in her best interest,” Emily shortly answered.

JJ frowned at what she said. “You’re not going to try and keep custody of her, are you?”

Silence fell over them and a look came across Emily’s face.

“Emily, she’s _sixteen_! Can you handle a sixteen-year-old this soon?” JJ immediately questioned, completely baffled by her friend.

“Last night went well,” Emily retorted back. “She’s mature and she’s fitting in quite nicely.”

“That’s one night out of how many?” JJ shook her head. “Emily, she might have family who can take care of her.”

“From what I’ve been told, none of them want anything to do with her, so I’m her only option.”

JJ crossed her arms and couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Is this because of that case all those years ago? When I said I could see you with kids? Are you trying to make up for Carrie?”

Wrong move.

She knew that all too well… after the fact.

It was too late to take it back.

“Make up for Carrie? What—JJ that was _years_ ago! I’m not making up for _anything_ or _anyone_! All I’m doing is taking care of someone who’s in need and it just so happens to be a sixteen-year-old girl who lost her entire family _twice_.”

JJ closed her eyes when she heard the growing frustration in Emily’s voice. She pressed the tips of her fingers to the bridge of her nose and took a long, slow breath. This conversation took a different turn than intended.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean… It’s just…”

“It’s just _what_ , JJ?” Emily asked, her voice filled with question and irritation.

“Isn’t it too soon for you to be doing this? You haven’t had more than a _day_ to think about what it would be like to have a child for more than a day. Serenity isn’t _even a child_ , either,” JJ answered back, looking at the other woman in the eye. She was trying to be honest and helpful, but it felt like she was driving a wedge between them.

“Everything happens for a reason, JJ,” Emily started, “and I don’t need your approval for what I do in my life.”

JJ winced and tried to figure out how she was going to turn this conversation back around. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. They weren’t supposed to be _arguing_.

“I’m _sorry_ , this wasn’t—I _know_ what you do is up to you, but I’m your _friend_ , Emily, and I don’t want you to make a mistake.”

Fury.

That was what JJ saw in Emily’s eyes.

_She_ was the one who made a mistake.

“Serenity is _not_ a _mistake_ and never _will_ be,” Emily firmly stated. “I have to go, Serenity’s waiting for me.”

JJ couldn’t get another word in as Emily walked around her and opened the door to the room, leaving silently. She covered her face with her hands and wished she could turn back time and redo that entire conversation.

_Why did everything good have to fall apart on her_ , she thought.

\---

The drive back home felt longer than it should have. Whatever _talk_ happened with JJ and the thought of Serenity leaving weighed heavily on her. She knew where JJ was coming from and it did occur to her that she might have been moving fast, but these were the cards she was dealt with. She was going to play her hand as best as she could. Being told the reality of her actions did affect her, but she really believed in what she was doing.

She knew she and JJ would have to talk again because _this_ couldn’t affect them at work… and as friends.

Friends.

Emily scoffed at the thought.

Friends who hallucinated about each other.

Right.

“You know, I could literally hear you thinking from inside.”

The unit chief jumped at the voice and looked up to find Serenity standing in the doorway of the apartment, leaning against the jamb, looking quite amused. She smiled and felt her heart fall into the pit of her stomach when she remembered this could be the last time that they would see each other.

“You don’t say,” she said, walking into the apartment as Serenity stepped aside.

When she walked in, she was bombarded with the scent of freshly cooked food. She closed the door behind her and slipped her shoes off. Serenity took her bag and brought it to the living area before ushering her to the dining area. She heard the soft pop music playing in the background and knew it was what Serenity was cooking to, but she didn’t expect to see what was on the dining table.

“What’s the occasion?” she asked in surprised when she saw a bowl of salad, a bowl of soup, a plate of veggies and roast beef, and another plate of rice. She could also smell something else going on in the kitchen.

“I was making dinner when I saw the news that you captured the guy copying my family! Congratulations!” Serenity answered, excitedly, pulling the woman into a hug.

“Oh!” Emily was taken by surprise. “Thank you, but did you really have to make so much food?” Emily asked as she slowly pulled away. She looked at the girl and saw her blush.

“I might have gone overboard because I wasn’t sure what you’d like tonight, so I gave you options,” Serenity explained, looking at the food. “And cake!”

“You made a cake?” So, that was that scent.

Serenity pointed at the oven. “It’s nothing extravagant that needs icing, but I’m putting a glaze on it. It still has a few minutes on it, so I’ll have to pull it out while we’re eating.”

Emily chuckled and allowed herself to be sat down at the table. She watched as the other girl sat across from her and motioned for her to start eating. While Serenity was gathering food on her plate, Emily couldn’t get herself to do the same. All she could think about was how she was going to broach the subject of custody.

All she could do was watch Serenity.

“If you have something on your mind, I’d prefer if we skipped the small talk and cut to the chase,” Serenity stated, looking at the other woman as she put her cutlery down.

Of course.

Cut to the chase.

“Would you like to stay with me and let me be your foster mother? Maybe adoptive mother?” Emily simply asked.

Serenity froze at the question and looked at the woman with wide eyes. When she recovered, she joked with a chuckle, “Are you sure about that Agent Prentiss?”

“I’m pretty sure, Serena,” Emily softly said. Her tone expressed the sincerity of her words.

Serenity flushed. “Then, you can stop looking like the world might end at any time and start eating.”

Emily smiled and started to gather food on her plate.

“What had you asking the question? I know Paul would have called us to see him about our arrangement.”

Emily blew out a slow breath and tapped her fork on her plate. “JJ brought it up before I left the precinct.”

“Brought it up or _rained on your parade_?” Serenity asked. “I could literally hear you thinking outside in the hallway for a good five minutes before I decided to come out.”

The question had the agent rolling her head to the side. She scrunched up her nose and shrugged. “Maybe a mix of both?”

“Rained on your parade, got it.” Serenity paused mid-bite and looked up. “Please don’t tell me you two had a _disagreement_ over me.”

“Pray, tell, whatever made you think of that.” Emily raised a brow at the conclusion.

Serenity laughed. “You two look like good, close colleagues who are interested in making sure the other are doing the right thing. Given my circumstances and the circumstances of this entire _thing_ , she could be worried that you may not be doing the right thing; which she is entirely entitled to think.”

“But, you’re not a mistake, Serenity,” Emily unintentionally slipped out.

That had the teenager pausing for a good moment. “A mistake, huh? She must be really worried about you, Agent Prentiss, if she thinks that I’m a mistake somewhere in this equation.”

Emily deflated for the second time that evening. JJ wasn’t in the wrong. Her words could have been chosen better, but she was only looking out for her.

“For what it’s worth, I’m glad to know you have someone like her by your side,” Serenity commented. “I _am_ a bit peeved that she didn’t ask to talk to me first.”

“About what?”

“If I was creating friction between you two to bring it up to me, but I guess it made sense for her to talk to you first since both of you work together,” Serenity answered.

“Wait, is that what you two talked about while I was talking to Paul?”

Serenity shrugged. “She’s concerned, Emily. I would be concerned if I were in her shoes, too; not only for you but for me, too. Whatever you do affects me as well.”

“You and JJ had a long talk, huh?”

“You made questionable decisions as an agent, Emily, so when I realized you two weren’t on the same page about _me_ and where I was going… I just don’t want to be problematic between the two of you.”

“You aren’t and _won’t_ be problematic, you understand?” Emily looked at the girl in the eye and saw her nod. “Whatever happens between JJ and I is between us, okay? We don’t drag you into it. _I_ won’t drag you into it.”

“Things happen, Emily, but thank you,” Serenity said, only to be followed up by the timer of the oven. “Cake is done!” She rushed off to the kitchen.

Emily watched the girl and could only nod.

\---

Emily looked at the sleeping girl against her on the sofa and couldn’t find it in her to wake Serenity up just yet. She knew she had a lot of things to do the next day, from talking to JJ, to talking to Paul, and possibly doing the paperwork to petition for more permanent custody over Serenity. With the girl’s background, there could be a lot of obstacles in their way, but she was ready to face that. There may be relatives who might want to step in and she didn’t want that. She wanted Serenity here with her.

In her heart, _this_ was definitely not a mistake.


	5. Five

It took all of Emily’s self-control to keep a straight face as she entered the BAU bullpen the next day. Habitually, she looked around the open space and saw who was on her mind. She caught JJ’s eye as she made her way to her office and knew the other woman would follow her. If yesterday meant as much as it did, JJ would. She was right because as she set her things down behind her desk, she heard JJ’s familiar footsteps approaching her door.

“Can we talk?” JJ asked with a hint of pleading in her voice. There was no mistake she wanted to talk about their conversation turned _heated_ conversation.

It wasn’t an argument, not fully, at least in Emily’s mind.

“Of course, what is it?” The unit chief played it off, but immediately saw the way JJ frowned at her answer.

“Emily, please don’t… _don’t_ … not right now, not after what happened.”

Emily sighed and motioned for the door. She watched as the younger woman entered the office and closed the door behind her. “What did you want to talk about, specifically?”

“I wanted to apologize for last night. It wasn’t supposed to be like _that_ ,” JJ said, her hands rising briefly in the air at the end.

This time it was Emily’s turn to frown. She also tilted her head to the side and asked, “Which part wasn’t supposed to be like _that_?”

“ _All of it_ ,” JJ immediately answered. “I wanted to make sure you were ready for what you were doing, Em. Words came out that weren’t right and I wish I could take them back, but I can’t. I’m your friend and I don’t want to see you diving head first into something you might not be prepared for.”

Emily nodded and truly understood where the other woman was coming from, but she could only half-heartedly smile at her. “Well, I’m prepared as I can be since Serenity and I are going to see her worker today.”

“You’ve got a call about your custody over her?”

“ _No_ , not really,” Emily started, “rather, _I_ called Paul to talk about my custody over her. We’re going to get started with the adoption process so I can adopt Serenity. I’ll have to start fostering her first, but that’s mostly being said and done.”

“Emily…” JJ trailed off, taken aback. Things were progressing too quickly again.

“I _know_ , but you need to trust me on this because I know what I’m doing. It’s moving fast, it’s a lot to take in, but for me, it feels like the right thing to do.”

“I trust you…”

“But you don’t trust the person you don’t know,” Emily finished. She nodded and walked around her desk, standing in front of JJ. She placed her hands on the other woman’s shoulders and gently squeezed them.

“She’s a good kid, JJ. I, honestly, believe you would really like her if you knew her better.”

“Really?”

Emily smiled and nodded. “She’s amazing and truly worth getting to know.”

“You know that I’m worried that you’re rushing into this.”

“I know quite well, JJ; just have a little faith in me. Didn’t you feel even the slightest connection with her when you talked to her? Didn’t you feel that you could trust her?”

JJ paused and thought about her conversation with the girl.

She nodded.

\---

“I’m glad you like having me around, Agent Prentiss.” The statement earned the teenager a deadpanned look. “ _Emily_.”

“If I didn’t, then I wouldn’t have asked Paul for an almost emergency meeting after hours to talk about our situation,” Emily replied back as she placed the bag of takeout on the coffee table in the living area, only for it to be whisked away to the dining table by the teenager. “I was hoping we could eat in front of the TV for once.” She dropped her keys on the coffee table and headed to the dining table.

“Emily, since it’s basically a given that you can _adopt_ me, you want _celebrate_ by having dinner in front of the TV?” Serenity questioned as she unpacked the Chinese food onto the table.

“Yes,” Emily simply said. _That_ earned her a deadpanned look from Serenity. “ _What_? I figured it would be cozier than the dining table! Amazing language skills in Chinatown, by the way.”

“Are you _sure_ you’re the adult between us?” Serenity asked as she watched the older woman settle down at the table. “And thank you.” She saw the smile on Emily’s face and it made her raise a brow in question. “What is it?”

“We can have dinner here and then we can watch a couple of movies with some ice cream. How does that sound?”

“You’re not sounding anymore of an adult,” Serenity sang out in a simple rhythm, but she turned to Emily with a wide smile. “I would like that.”

“Great!” Emily exclaimed, reaching for a pair of chopsticks and one of the boxes. “So, how are you holding up being here instead of school?” She watched as Serenity sat down and did the same.

“It’s all right,” Serenity started, “I’m still getting work done with the e-mails my teachers are sending me, but this leave of absence Ms. Grant has me on is making me itch.”

“You know she’s doing it so you can process everything that’s happening to you, especially with the first trial coming up,” Emily responded back. “You know it’ll be tough when the trial happens.”

Serenity nodded. “I know, it’s just that I’ve never stayed home for more than one day unless I was sick. It’s a little foreign to be home without much to do.”

“I’m glad you think of this as your home,” Emily joked, poking through her food with her chopsticks.

“You’ve made it feel like one, Emily.”

Emily paused and looked at the girl. She saw the sincerity on Serenity’s face and felt her heart warm at the sight. “Thank you.”

“No, thank _you_ for everything you’ve done for me. I don’t know how I’ll be able to repay you.”

Emily shook her head and put her food down. “You don’t have to.”

“Emily…”

The unit chief turned away and got up to go to the refrigerator. “No mother would ask their daughter to repay them for something they would naturally do.” She opened the door and reached for two bottles of water, refusing to look at the girl after saying those words.

“No daughter would simply take and receive without giving back.”

Emily finally looked back and saw the warm smile on Serenity’s face. She turned to the table with the water and passed one over to the teenager. “Do you think I’m making the right decision?”

Serenity paused mid-bite and chuckled. She continued to chew before swallowing and replying, “Are you asking this because you’re having doubts, because you feel like you’re moving fast, or because your colleagues weighed in?”

“All of the above?”

“Objectively, your decision could use more time,” Serenity answered, wincing a little. “You’re making a big decision in a really short amount of time.”

This had Emily frowning.

Serenity saw it.

“I’m not saying you made the wrong decision because I’m not you, but from an outside perspective… it’s a little concerning.”

“Do you _want_ to be my adoptive daughter?” Emily asked in an unusually small voice.

Serenity placed her food down on the table and smiled. “Emily Prentiss, I’d more than be honoured to have you be my adoptive mother. You’ve made your decision, so don’t let anyone sway you now. _I_ want to be here.”

Emily chuckled and looked down, closing her eyes when she felt a familiar sting in them. She took a deep breath and cleared her throat. If the process went through smoothly, she was going to be a mother. A _mother_.

“I think you’re the adult between us right now,” she jokingly said, opening her eyes to look up at the girl.

“Brilliant IQ plus mature environment equals my current disposition,” Serenity joked back, picking up her food. “Now, enough heavy talk, we have food to eat and an adoption process to celebrate!”

Emily smiled and nodded, taking her food and thoughtfully eating it.

“How do you feel about getting more of your things tomorrow?” she asked.

“I would really appreciate it. I’m running out of things to wear and do.”

“We’ll get more of your things tomorrow and… how about coming to work with me on Monday?”

“Now, why would I do that, _Agent Prentiss_?”

“It’ll be a day of paperwork, so it’ll be a great opportunity for you to meet the team, get you some air… _and_ give you a change of scenery from _this_.”

“Persuaded!” Serenity raised her hand. “I never went on ‘Take Your Kid to Work Day’ before. I was always too busy with school or sports to take part in it,” she confessed. She tapped her chopsticks on the edge of her takeout box and hummed to herself. “You’re making me meet the team before the big dinner.”

“I figured it would be nice for you to get to know them so you can have an idea of what to make.”

Serenity smirked at her. “You’re making this up as you go, aren’t you?”

Emily nodded.

“I’d be glad to go just to meet Spencer and ask him to narrow down the list of schools I can attend this coming school year,” Serenity said.

“You should at least show me first,” Emily commented.

“After dinner because I have to tell you that it’s a lot,” Serenity said with a chuckle.

Emily smiled. “Sounds good.”

\---

“I thought we were going to look at your schools,” Emily said as she sat on the sofa and turned on the TV, only to find Serenity coming down the stairs with a thick expanding file folder in hand. “Don’t tell me that’s the list of schools.”

Serenity scoffed and pulled out a slightly thinner folder. “This is the list,” she said. She put down the thicker folder on the coffee table and saw down beside Emily. “ _That_ is what Leo left on my desk, along with a letter, that I didn’t see until I packed my bag that _day_. Now that you’re more or less my adoptive mother, I think you have a look at what’s inside.”

Emily took the thick folder and opened it. The first tab was full of living trusts. She went through all of them and realized what it all meant. She went into the next tab and read through all the bank accounts that were listed. Things were getting crazy. Onto the next tab, she found properties and estates that were legally bought under the Robertson name. She turned to Serenity and nodded.

“They gave you everything.”

“They gave me everything,” Serenity parroted back.

“You and I make quite a rich pair, then,” Emily joked, closing the folder. A girl whose family made her a multi-millionaire, and a woman whose mother was the US Ambassador. “At least you won’t be bugging me about lunch money.”

“Or a car,” Serenity quipped.

“I _read_ , but you’re still too young to drive alone.”

Serenity shrugged and waved at the folder. “So, when should we see a lawyer about this?”

“Probably as soon as possible.” Emily picked up the thinner folder and opened it to find each tab to be full of envelopes from post-secondary institutions. She tabbed through the folder and was taken aback by how many schools were applied to. “These are all acceptance letters?”

“Most of them; the rest are invitations,” Serenity answered, reaching for one of the pints of ice cream on the table. 

Emily whistled and saw a few Ivy League schools in the folder. “We’ll definitely talk to Spencer about this, but do you have any schools already on the shortlist?” 

“I do and it’s in the back of the folder with reasons as to why I chose them.” 

Emily looked to the back and saw the thick booklet that sat there. She wasn’t tempted to pull it out. She would let Reid do it, instead. Looking over at Serenity, she closed the folder and placed it on the table and reached for the other pint of ice cream. 

“I think Reid would help you better than I can.”

Serenity laughed and bumped shoulders with the other woman. “Overwhelming, isn’t it?”

“I won’t lie and say it isn’t.” Emily leaned into the girl and started eating her ice cream. “I think we’ll figure it out once the list is a bit shorter than what it is.”

Serenity grinned and laid her head against Emily’s shoulder. “Thanks, Emily.”

“Anything for you.”

\---

Emily looked over at the sleeping girl beside her and couldn’t stop the smile that crept on her face. She was going to be a mother to such an amazing girl. She kissed the top of the girl’s head and knew she was doing the right thing. It _felt_ like the right thing. _This_ was no mistake.


	6. Six

“Lose this and you’ll get kicked out,” Emily stated as she handed Serenity a visitor’s pass. She smiled at the deadpanned look the teenager gave her and led her to the elevators. “Really, don’t lose it.”

Serenity pulled the lanyard on around her neck and sarcastically laughed at the statement. “You’re not making me feel better about this.”

The unit chief wrapped an arm around the teenager’s shoulders. “Are you _that_ nervous?”

She received a short nod.

Emily reached for the elevator buttons and pressed ‘up’. “You don’t have to be; they’re all great people.”

“It’s not that I don’t doubt that, but they’re your friends and I want to make a good impression! I also want to make a better impression with Jennifer.” The way Serenity ended in a murmur caught Emily’s attention. The elevator arrived and they both walked in with Emily pressing for the BAU’s floor.

“You’re worried about her the most, aren’t you?”

Serenity turned to the woman with concerned eyes and began nodding repeatedly. “I don’t think what I did made a great impression. A bratty teenager can be redeemed, but… what I _did_? Difficult.”

“I can’t say you’re wrong,” Emily replied, watching as Serenity deflate. “But what I _can_ say is that JJ is open-minded and won’t hold judgment over you forever. You need to relax and try not to overcompensate when you see her; you’ll only stress yourself out.”

When the elevator arrived at their floor and the doors opened, they both walked out, but Emily noticed Serenity had slowed down dramatically and froze before they reached the doors of the bullpen. She looked over her shoulder and saw the girl taking a few slow deep breaths before returning to her side.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“Let’s do this!” Serenity answered, sounding incredibly hyped up for the visit.

Emily chuckled and led the girl to the glass doors, opened it, and ushered her inside. She followed suit and saw everyone in her team in the bullpen in various areas: their cubicles, at someone else’s cubicle, or at the water cooler.

“Come on, we’re going to go to the boardroom,” she said as she started her way there. She came across Garcia and stopped her. “Hey Penelope, can you get everyone together to the boardroom? I’ve got someone I’d like to introduce to the team.”

She saw Garcia look over at the teenager beside her and become excited. Hands were clapped happily and the technical analyst was off scurrying away. She smiled and continued on their way to the boardroom.

“So, that was Penelope Garcia, our technical analyst.”

Serenity grinned when she recalled the woman’s appearance. “She seems pretty cool.”

“You should see her office,” Emily replied back.

They arrived at the boardroom and the unit chief offered a chair for the girl to sit in, but she was politely refused. Emily placed her things on the table and approached the girl.

“Still nervous?”

“I’m _buzzing_ ,” Serenity said, shoving her hands into the pockets of her jacket. She took another set of deep breaths and watched as Emily stepped away as members of the BAU team entered the room. In a few minutes, everyone was present. She received a pat on the back and saw Emily step forward.

“Good morning, everyone; I called you in not because of a case, but rather for personal reasons,” she said, looking across every member. “This is Serenity Song, the adopted child of the Robertson family whom we’ve worked with last week. I’ve started the process of adopting her—well, I’ll be fostering her for the next few months, but my goal is to adopt her.”

Pure silence.

After a few moments, simultaneous congratulations and cheers filled the air.

“Look at your jumping ahead of the team with a teenager!” Garcia pointed out, only to turn to Rossi with pursed lips. “You, not included.” She walked around the table and engulfed Serenity in a tight hug. “I’m Penelope, technical analyst goddess! Is it true that you have an amazing IQ like our genius here?”

Serenity returned the hug and chuckled when she pulled back. “You’ll have to tell me who that is.”

“That would be me,” Reid stated, raising his hand. “I’m Spencer Reid and I have an IQ of 187 which they like to make out as a brilliant mind, but statistically IQ’s don’t necessarily—”

“ _Reid_ ,” Emily interjected, silencing the younger man.

Serenity looked at the man and smiled. “My IQ is lower than his—179,” Serenity replied back.

“Oh, why are you still in high school, then?” Garcia asked.   
  


“The academy is really nice and so are the people, so I deliberately slowed down my studies.” Serenity smiled. “I wanted to experience what high school life was like.”

“Was bullying ever an issue for you?” Reid asked.

“Hard to get bullied when I’m also a good athlete of the academy, too,” Serenity answered. “I’m one of the luckier ones who didn’t have it rough.”

“Athlete, huh? What do you play? And I’m Luke.”

“Volleyball, basketball and track,” Serenity answered. “Pleased to meet you.”

“She’d run circles around all of us,” Matt joked. “I’m Matt. Are you Korean by any chance?”

“My last name gives it away a little, doesn’t it?” Serenity asked, earning her a nod from the tall man. “Yes, my father was Korean while my mother was American. Are you Korean?”

“Through and through.” Matt looked over at Emily. “We should have Korean barbecue with the kids.”

Emily grinned. “Love to.”

She watched as the rest of the members introduced themselves to Serenity, seeing them pleased with finally meeting the teenager instead of hearing stories about her. She let out a small breath of relief that things were going well. A chuckle left her lips when she heard Rossi and Serenity discussing dinner plans.

“And you can call me JJ instead of Jennifer,” JJ lastly introduced.

“Pleased to meet you again,” Serenity said with a half-nervous, half-warm smile. She saw JJ smile in response which eased her nervousness.

Emily looked over at the girl and caught her eye. There was progress.

“So, did you bring Serenity here as some kind of ‘Take Your Kid to Work Day’ thing?” Rossi asked, curious about the teenager’s sudden appearance.

“Well, Serena has never really been to one of those and I thought it would be nice for all of you to meet her. It’s also a great opportunity for me to invite all of you to dinner,” Emily explained. “Since Serena is also graduating high school, I figured Reid could help shorten her list of post-secondary options.”

“How long is the list?” Reid asked.

“In short, I have around 12 schools to shortlist,” Serenity answered.

“So, if you could help her out, Reid?”

“Absolutely!”

“Okay, once you two are done with that, is it all right with all of you if Serena visits all of you throughout the day? It would be great for everyone to get to know each other and help her out with planning dinner,” Emily added.

“When will this dinner be?” Tara asked.

“After the Robertson’s have their first trial,” Emily answered, turning to Serenity and seeing her looking down, playing with her messenger bag.

“Okay, sounds good! I call dibs on Serenity when she’s done with Reid!” Garcia called out, looping an arm around Serenity’s.

“Spencer, you’ll take Serena to Penelope’s office when you two are done?” Emily asked, receiving a nod from the other agent. “Good. _Please_ treat her kindly.”

“We wouldn’t treat your soon-to-be adoptive daughter any other way,” Rossi replied back.

\---

JJ bit her lower lip when she found the girl alone getting coffee in the afternoon. She looked around the bullpen and saw no one else from the team ready to approach the girl, so she made her way to Serenity.

“Still have time to meet with me?” she asked. She watched as the girl looked over her shoulder, stirring the coffee she just poured, before picking up the mug in her hands.

“Of course, JJ,” Serenity answered, taking a careful sip of the brew.

“Come to my office before someone else decides to steal you,” JJ half-joked, motioning for the girl to follow her.

“Sorry about that; Spencer and Penelope took most of my time, then everyone kind of kept playing tug-of-war with me afterwards.”

Little did JJ know that Serenity was growing nervous behind her calm façade. When they arrived at her office, she motioned for the girl to take a seat as she closed the door.

“I feel like I’m in the principal’s office,” Serenity joked as she carefully sat down with her coffee. The irony at her sentence when she remembered how easy it was to _be_ in the principal’s office.

“Sorry, this has always been my office and federal buildings don’t scream warm and welcoming a lot of the time,” JJ responded back as she sat down in her chair behind her desk.

“So, how was your day?”

“It’s been slow—a lot of paperwork. The rest of the team must have talked your ear off already,” JJ answered with a small smile on her face.

Serenity chuckled and shook her head. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Of course!”

“What is it that’s bothering you about me?” Serenity bluntly asked.

JJ’s brow rose at the question. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I can kind of _feel_ it, JJ. Emily and I talked about your _disagreement_ involving me and over her decisions. Maybe it isn’t you not liking me, but something is bothering you enough to call Emily’s decision to take me in a mistake.”

There it was, out in the open. JJ closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands as she let out a sigh. She looked at the girl and frowned. “She told you that?”

“We talked that night and there was a window of vulnerability that opened; she willingly shared that with me. I’m not… _mad_ or anything, but I _would_ like you to know that Emily is set in her decision with me.”

The profiler leaned back in her chair and pursed her lips. “Why? Why so soon? You’re not so… helpless.”

Serenity snorted before she could stop. “I’m still a minor to be taken in. Does my lack of helplessness bother you?”

JJ looked away and sighed. This was a change of events. “You’re a child who knows how to hold a gun. You were also willing to shoot your _brother_.” She turned back to Serenity and saw her nodding.

“Dad and Leo were keen on teaching me self-defence, so I know how to fight and it also involved knowing how to use a gun. They wanted to make sure I could defend myself against bullies, or god knows who, if they ever wanted to take advantage of me because of my knowledge.” Serenity shrugged and sipped her coffee. “As for Leo… If anyone was going to shoot him or _at_ him, it would have been me. I wasn’t going to let anyone else do it; he would’ve stopped what he was doing sooner if he didn’t keep on talking.”

JJ simply stared at the girl and couldn’t help but ask, “You wouldn’t hurt Emily, would you?”

Then, realization dawned on the girl.

“Whoa, _no_!” Serenity exclaimed, nearly spilling her coffee. “Unless she comes at me from the dark on Halloween just to scare the living daylights out of me, I would never hurt her! I would fight off anyone _for_ her. Is that the _real_ reason? You’re worried I might hurt her?”

JJ swallowed through a lump that was growing in her throat and nodded. It was one of the reasons.

“JJ, you have to realize that I’m not here to cause trouble. Yes, the circumstances could be better, but I truly mean no harm. I really appreciate Emily for everything she’s done for me so far—I wouldn’t do anything to forsake the trust we’ve built.”

“Really?”

Serenity furiously nodded. “Absolutely, and I hope one day you can trust me.”

“I trust you as much as the next person, but—I kind of wish _we_ talked first before I talked to Emily,” JJ explained, standing up from her chair to walk around her desk and sit by Serenity. “There were too many… _variables_ that made me say a lot of what I said and made me think a lot of what I thought.”

“Why didn’t you ask her to talk to me? She would’ve allowed it.” Serenity softly sighed and tilted her head to the side. “You’re also bothered by Emily’s discretion lately (or lack thereof), our first meeting, and my skills and abilities as a prodigy raised in a criminal household that wasn’t so criminal when I was growing up. Does that sum most of it up?”

JJ winced at the words and nodded. “That sounds about right.”

Serenity clicked her tongue and sipped her coffee. “I _told_ Emily that I might be problematic. I _wish_ she wasn’t so emotionally driven with me right now; it looks like it’s blinding her a bit.”

JJ chuckled and leaned into her chair. “I’m glad _we’re_ on the same page.”

“I think we’re all on the same page now,” Serenity replied back. She shook her head and half-smiled. “Now, since that’s all out of the way, maybe I should give you my phone number so you can call me and vice versa.”

JJ laughed and pulled out her cellphone. “I would appreciate it.”

\---

As Serenity left JJ’s office with a warm hug from the profiler, she was immediately redirected to a familiar hallway. She looked to her side to find Garcia literally handling her back to her office again. She was sat in a chair and once the door closed, one question filled the air.

“What’s the jig between Emily and JJ?”

Serenity blinked a few times and looked around her immediate area to place her coffee mug. She found an open space away from the keyboards and turned back to Garcia.

“Besides the heated tension and protectiveness over one another, what else is there?” she asked back. She immediately found herself being wheeled toward a side while Garcia sat down across from her.

“So, you noticed it, too?” Garcia questioned, pointing the flower pen in her grasp at the girl.

“I’m also observant, thank you,” Serenity answered. “How long has it been going on?” She saw Garcia throw her hands up in the air and sigh loudly.

“ _Years_! _Years_ of _pining_ from _both sides_!” Garcia replied back. “I know JJ’s married and has two kids, but that isn’t the point. Those two are going to keep pining for each other forever unless we do something!”

Serenity raised a brow and leaned forward, moving the pen away from where it touched her face. “What’s the plan?” There was a mischievous look on the other woman’s face and she wondered if that was a good question to ask.

“ _You_ are the plan, m’dear.”

\---

“He’s here,” Emily announced.

After the visit to the BAU, Serenity finally asked if she could visit her family to which Emily did not postpone or deny.

The two remained seated as Leo walked toward them. Emily noticed how Serenity kept her hands clasped together, trying so hard not to reach out to touch him.

“Hey, kiddo,” Leo softly said, sitting down across from the two.

“Hey,” Serenity answered. “This is Emily.”

Leo looked over at the agent and nodded at her. “Looks like you’ve taken my lil’ sister in.”

“I only did what was best for her,” Emily replied back.

“Thank you; I’ve been wondering if she’s been put in a home or with estranged relatives. I’m sorry for how I behaved that day.”

Emily nodded and accepted his apology.

Leo turned back to Serenity and blew out a small breath. “Have you seen mom and the others?”

“Yeah, and when I ask them about _anything,_ they only tell me the same thing over and over: how to get by the next few days and the period after the trial. I was hoping you could change that.”

“In what way?” Leo asked.

“Can you tell me what you did in the past? I just… I need to know the truth and why _all of you_ are going to be incarcerated. I need to know before the trial and not be blindsided, you know?”

“Of course.”

Emily sat quietly to the side and listened as Leo explained what their family did before Serenity came into their lives. It was a life of fraud and meticulously planned robberies that the family was in on. It all started with the father, Edward, and it trickled down the family tree from there.

She knew everything they did based on the reports Garcia pulled up, but no one knew who did everything until now. Regardless of what they did, the Robertson family tried to redeem themselves around the time Serenity was taken in.

They truly could have lived a peaceful life had a copycat not appeared.

\---

After the visit, Emily carefully walked the teenager back to her SUV. The entire walk back through the prison, Serenity had remained silent and looked like she was about to be sick.

“Serena, how are you feeling?”

“Can we just go home? I want to make dinner.”

Emily looked at Serenity’s reflection through the SUV’s window and pressed her lips together. She pulled the girl into a tight hug. She heard sniffles over her shoulder and felt arms wrap just as tightly around her waist.


	7. Seven

A week passed until Serenity found herself entering the courtroom with Emily by her side. She sat behind her family and saw all of them looking solemn in their jumpsuits. They looked all right, but she wondered just how long that would last. She kept to herself and ignored the murmuring behind her. They were too many people there simply because of her family’s association with the copycat that brought attention to them. She merely kept her eyes forward and quietly listened to the judge as she spoke.

When she heard the prosecuting attorney speak, her heart nearly leapt out of her chest. She turned to see who it was and rest assured, it was who she thought it was.

It was Stephanie Chase. Her law teacher.

It was as if the cosmos were out for her.

The entire trial put a bitter taste in Serenity’s mouth. It was an open and shut case, but hearing the atrocities that had been done in Stephanie’s voice made her question everything she knew. She was glad that everything Leo had told her remained true in trial; they never killed anyone. The hand on her thigh was meant to keep her stable, but it felt restrictive. Part of her wanted to yell at the people she called her family, but another part of her wanted to cry because she felt betrayed.

It would end with no doubt of incarceration at the sentencing trial, especially since her family pleaded guilty and accepted the plea bargain the prosecution offered.

Once the trial ended, Serenity stood and gripped the wood fence in front of her as she watched her family turn to her with sadness. She clenched her jaw and tried her best not to break down in front of all the people in the room. It was harder to do so when her family all began asking her for her forgiveness. They quickly explained that they truly wanted the best for her and truly did what they could to be better, but in the end, they had to play the consequences for their past actions.

_She_ was the product of their attempt to atone for their sins.

They merely wanted her forgiveness, but that only put her in a difficult position. She could only shake her head and ask them to forgive her for not doing better. At what? She wasn’t sure. Words left her and she didn’t know what to make of them. She watched as they were led out of the courtroom and as soon as they were gone, she dropped back in her seat completely at a loss.

“Let’s go, their attorney wants to speak with you,” Emily said, gently pulling the girl back up to her feet.

Serenity numbly took back to her feet and followed the attorney with the unit chief by her side, but with a fleeting glance, she saw Stephanie watching her.

Were they enemies because they fell on either side of the law now?

\---

After the trial, the two returned home to rest. Emily received the occasional text message from JJ keeping her up to date as to what was going on at the office, but for the most part it was a quiet day. She also received a phone call from Cat who gave Serenity’s leave an absence an indefinite end, if she pleased, to avoid the scrutiny of her fellow students. The nation now knew about what her family had done.

When they began to have lunch, Emily could only watch with a sad heart as Serenity aimlessly poked at her food in front of her. It was clear that the girl’s appetite was lost after the hearing and from her perspective, it was evident Serenity wanted to curl up into a ball and hide from the world.

“You need to eat,” she said, reaching across the table to nudge the plate closer to the girl.

Serenity nodded and slowly began to eat. The doorbell rang and Emily stood to answer the door.

“Keep eating,” Emily called out.

The teenager chuckled and continued to eat her food. She heard multiple footsteps coming back and assumed it was one of the members of the BAU with Emily.

“Hey.”

She was wrong. The voice she heard only froze her in place. She slowly looked up and saw Stephanie standing beside Emily. She took a sip of water and nodded at the attorney.

“She wanted to talk to you after the hearing, so I’m going to let that happen, okay?” Emily said as she moved away to the living area. “No arguing!”

“Hi,” Serenity softly said, watching as Stephanie take over Emily’s seat.

“How are you holding up?” Stephanie asked in the same softness.

“I’m… holding up,” Serenity answered, pushing her plate away. She leaned forward onto the counter and wryly smiled at the woman. “How about you?”

“The same, honestly,” Stephanie replied back, leaning onto the counter as well. “I didn’t know I was taking on their case until… I was taking on their case.”

“Why did you agree?”

Stephanie half-heartedly smiled. “I wanted to back out due to a conflict of interest, but when I saw them… they believed that I would do what was right for them and for you. They made their decision and they made me promise to look after you.”

Serenity looked away and shook her head. “All of these promises are getting out of hand.”

The attorney reached out and moved the plate out of the way so she could hold Serenity’s hands in her own.

“You know how much they love you, right?” she asked.

Serenity nodded and looked down at their hands. “Will they be okay?”

“It’ll be tough to say, but you have FBI connections now; that should help in some way,” Stephanie answered.

“What happens to all of the assets and money they left me? Will they remain with me or will I lose it all?”

Stephanie squeezed the girl’s hands and smiled. “I checked those out and they will stay with you. They’re all legal, so none of it will be gone. You’re a multi-millionaire, Serena.”

Serenity smiled and squeezed Stephanie’s hands in return. “Thank you for being by my side despite everything.”

“Well, Cat also made me promise to keep you up to date with your studies at the academy since you’ve been given time off. We’ll have to talk to Emily about letting me come by twice a week to help you with that.”

“Cat won’t leave my side, will she?” Serenity questioned in jest.

“ _All_ of us still have your back, Serena; you’re still the same person you were before all of this happened.”

\---

It was around late afternoon when Stephanie left. Plans were prepared, schedules were created, and acquaintances were made. However, when she left, that meant leaving Emily and Serenity alone together. This was where Emily was at a loss.

How was she to comfort a girl who lost her family? Not once, but twice?

This was absolutely new territory for her and it bothered her that she didn’t know what to do. She observed the girl silently cook for nearly two hours. She quietly sat at the kitchen island in case Serenity needed anything, but it was pure silence except for the chopping and cooking that occurred.

“I’m sorry,” Serenity whispered, taking a seat beside Emily when she finally finished cooking.

“What for?” Emily softly asked.

“That you have to deal with me after all that happened today,” Serenity honestly answered.

Emily shook her head and pulled the girl into her arms. “You didn’t do anything wrong and there’s nothing for me to put up with. It may not have been that long, but I do care about you, so don’t apologize.” She felt the girl wrap her arms around her.

“Can I at least apologize for clearing out 90% of your food from the fridge? Most of it will keep for a week, but I made a lot so you might want to share with your team.”

Emily chuckled and rubbed the girl’s head. “You can apologize for that if you’d like, but I’ll be thanking you for the food. I think I have some containers around.”

“You do; I did some shopping the other day while you were at work and felt like getting storage containers.”

Emily chuckled. “So, you and Stephanie seem close.”

Serenity pulled away and made a face at Emily. “She used to be my babysitter when I was a child. Might as well tell you that now before you wonder anything else.”

“How old is she?” Emily questioned.

Serenity blinked a few times and immediately slapped the woman on the shoulder.

“ _What_?”

“What kind of question is that?!” Serenity asked, laughing.

“It made you laugh!” Emily retorted back, smiling at the girl.

The girl could only chuckle and nod. “Yeah, yeah, it did.”

“If you and Stephanie ever get together, she talks to me first, understood?” Emily said with a straight face.

Serenity pursed her lips and raised her brow. “Whatever you say, _mom_. Let’s just eat and sort out the food you’ll give out. We shouldn’t let it sit too long.”

Emily nodded and stood up at the time Serenity did. She wrapped an arm around the girl’s shoulders and pressed a kiss to her head.

“I’ve got your back, too, okay?”

“I’ve got yours, too.”


	8. Eight

It was finally the night of the dinner and it smelled like a feast was going on in her apartment.

Emily approached her place and unlocked the door. When she walked in, she was met with an array of scents that were all too good to smell alone. It was something she remembered often smelling as a child when she lived with her mother with all the maids cooking away at any given time.

She headed to the kitchen and found varying cooked dishes on the dining table, while there were still things cooking on the stove and in the oven. The closer she stepped to everything, the closer she saw a mildly disheveled teenager rushing around.

“Out! _Out_!” Serenity exclaimed as soon as she turned and saw the older woman.

Emily laughed and didn’t even protest when she was ushered away from the kitchen and dining area. She didn’t even get a chance to ask what was still being made. She glanced at the nearly full table and was glad it could expand because she had no idea how they were going to eat together, otherwise.

“If you need anything, let me know; I’ll be upstairs,” she said, hoping it reached the girl’s ears.

“Got it, mom!” Serenity automatically responded.

Emily smiled, regardless, and made her way up the stairs. It would have been a good chance to bond with the teenager while cooking together, but seeing how much the girl radiated nervousness, she figured she’d leave her alone.

Another long day of paperwork passed and all she wanted to do was rest. She entered her room and closed the door behind her, dropping her things on a nearby chair. She headed straight for the master bathroom and stripped off all of her clothes as she started the shower. Part of her felt guilty for leaving the girl alone to cook everything, but it would’ve made sense to give Serenity time to work off the nervous energy.

She stepped into the shower and let the water run over her hair and skin.

It was still a period of adjustment having Serenity around. Every so often, she would be reminded of the girl’s presence simply by breakfast being made and already on the table when she woke up. Every time that happened, she told herself she would make breakfast for them, but so far it hadn’t worked out in her favour.

Serenity was always up before she was.

All those early morning practices for team sports she was told about led to a routine of early mornings even on the weekends. She couldn’t even get mad at Serenity for waking her up during the weekends because she moved as quietly as a mouse. All she _could_ do was appreciate and thank the girl for all that she did for her.

_Now_ , she was extending Serenity’s skills and thoughtfulness to the team. It was their chance to see what Serenity could do and perhaps really see her as part of the family.

After a shampoo, soap and rinse, and another few minutes in the shower, Emily stepped out and reached for her towel on the rod. She wrapped it around herself and looked at herself in the mirror. She wiped away the condensation and saw the smile on her face.

This night would be a good night.

\---

“You need to get cleaned up and changed, Serena; they’ll be here soon,” Emily called out, watching as the teenager continued to zip around the semi-chaotic kitchen. She thought about intervening, but knew it would be wiser not to.

A timer went off and she saw Serenity _almost_ jump over the kitchen island to get to the oven just to open its door. She walked over into the kitchen and found the girl carefully pulling out a Bundt cake from the oven.

“I thought you were pulling out a turkey again,” Emily jokingly said, backing away as Serenity turned to the island. She saw the girl point over to the dining table and when she looked over her shoulder… there was a turkey. “Serena… I thought _small_ was the goal here.”

Serenity shrugged and started to move some dishes onto the kitchen island. “Your table looks like it expands and I wanted to include everyone’s tastes—where’s the expansion piece?”

Emily grabbed the girl by the shoulders before she could touch another dish and led her to the stairs. “You. Wash and change. I. Move and expand.”

“But—”

“No, buts!” Emily called out, shoving the girl up the stairs. “You need to get ready! I’ll get this ready. _Relax_!”

Serenity pouted and made her way to her room. “Call me if you need help!”

“I won’t!” Emily called back.

It took less than an hour for Emily to hear footsteps coming back down the stairs. She had finished expanding the dining table and moved all the cooked food into a reasonable array in that time. When she saw Serenity return, she whistled at the sight of the girl dressed in a semi-formal blouse and skirt. Serenity’s hair was down in loose curls and she had light make up on—the girl was ready to impress!

“I’m buzzing again,” Serenity said, rubbing her hands in front of her.

“Stop panicking; your food is delicious, and you look beautiful. Just take a deep breath and remember you have this. You’ll be fine, okay? You’ve met and talked with all of them.”

Then, the doorbell rang.

“Come and answer the door with me.”

Serenity followed Emily to the door and swallowed thickly when she opened it.

“Dave, Tara, Penelope, welcome!” Emily greeted.

“Hello! We brought presents, mostly for _her_ ,” Garcia stated, entering the apartment with large bags in hand. She went in for a short hug with Emily and immediately turned to Serenity, pulling her into a tight embrace.

“Smells amazing,” Tara commented as she followed into the apartment.

“Very amazing,” Rossi said as he entered last.

“Hello, everyone,” Serenity said, after being released from the hug. She took the bags and placed them in the dining area while she saw Emily lead everyone to the kitchen island where Rossi pulled out the two bottles of wine in the bag he was holding.

“Whoa, we are not letting the minor drink,” Garcia stated, noticing the two bottles on the island.

Serenity giggled and waved a hand in the air. “It’s okay! By the time I was fourteen, my family started letting me have wine. I’m more of a fruity kind of person, but anything that tastes good with food is fine by me.”

Emily eyed the girl and then the bottles. “Two glasses at most, got that?”

“Understood!” Serenity answered with a thumbs up.

“What a feast we’ll be having tonight,” Rossi said as he approached the dining table and saw the different dishes on it.

“I hope you’ll all like it,” Serenity said back.

\---

It took another hour until Serenity heard the bell and realized that it was JJ. She was the only person who hadn’t arrived, yet. She turned to Emily and saw her nod off to open the door. Nervously, she walked over to the door and opened it, only to be greeted with three sets of blonde heads.

“Hello, c-come in,” she said with a nervous slip at the end. She stepped to the side as JJ walked in with two boys.

“Hi Serenity; my apologies, but I couldn’t find a sitter for the boys tonight. This is Henry,” JJ said, waving to the older boy, “and this is Michael,” she said, motioning to the boy in her arms.

Serenity smiled. “It’s okay.” She looked between the boys and lowered herself down a bit. “Hi there, I’m Serena; do you mind if I be your big sister for tonight?”

“No,” the boys simultaneously said.

“Come on, I bet you’re all hungry! I know the rest of us are,” Serenity said as she closed the door and reached for Henry’s hand, leading the three inside where everyone was waiting.

“Hey! This is a surprise!” Emily called out, walking over to the four and welcoming them.

“I hope you don’t mind,” JJ said, hefting Michael on her hip.

“Not at all!” Emily said. “Come, sit, we were waiting for you before we started.”

Serenity motioned for JJ to sit down. As she sat down, Michael crawled into her lap and Henry sat in JJ’s lap. Emily took the open spot beside her and rubbed Michael on the head.

“Well, since we’re all finally here, I think we should let our resident chef say a few words before we dig in,” Emily said.

Serenity pursed her lips and looked at the woman who simply grinned at her.

“Well,” she started, “I’d like to thank you all for coming tonight. I wasn’t particularly sure _what_ to make, so I made whatever suited all of your tastes and it ended up expanding this table. I want to think you for letting me be acquainted with all of you despite everything that’s happened. I hope we can continue to have good relations as I become part of Emily’s family.”

“Well, kiddo, now you’ve become a part of the BAU family; you’re one of us,” Rossi stated.

\---

“She’s good with Michael,” JJ commented as she saw Serenity holding her sleeping son while she talked to Matt by the window at the other end of the apartment.

“I’ve been told stories about how she used to babysit Cat Grant’s son when they were younger,” Emily replied back as she watched the teenager easily converse with the other agent.

“Normally, Michael would fight to stay awake, but whatever tricks Serenity has up her sleeve… I wish I knew them when I had Henry,” JJ joked, sipping her wine. She turned to the other woman and furrowed her brow. “So, you really didn’t make any of this?”

“God, no—I came home and it was almost done.” Emily turned to the blonde and chuckled. “I wanted to take a peek at the food, but I was shooed right out of the kitchen.”

“I’m surprised Rossi isn’t talking Serenity’s ear off for recipes or giving her cooking tips.”

“You missed the pre-dinner conversations where all of that happened,” Emily stated as she looked around her full apartment. She took a particular glance at the boy playing video games with Reid and the boy in Serenity’s arms.

“Where’s Will?” she asked.

“He had to work late tonight, so I had to bring the boys with me. That’s okay, right?”

Emily turned back to the younger woman. “Of course, it is! You’re all welcome here whenever you want. Serena would agree, especially since she’s off from school for now.”

JJ nodded and turned in the direction of her sons with a smile. She was happy to see them having fun (or sleeping) where they were.

“I’m guessing you and Serena are on better terms now?”

JJ continued to smile and nodded. “We had a talk and a couple more… and I’d like to think we’re friends now.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” Emily paused and tilted her head. “Is this what it feels like to be a mother?” she asked out-of-the-blue.

“Hmm?”

“I have the urge to punch Matt in the face,” Emily answered, catching JJ’s attention.

The blonde looked at the scene and saw the sweet smile on Matt’s face that was mirrored on Serenity’s. “Because he’s talking to Serenity? And it looks like he’s _talking her up_?” she asked in amusement.

“Yes.”

“You’d have to ask Rossi about it because I have two sons,” JJ joked back. “But I think your maternal instincts are coming in for her.”

“I think I’d do anything for her,” Emily softly and honestly said, turning to JJ.

JJ almost flinched at the look in the woman’s eyes, but smiled. “You’re on your way to becoming a mother, Emily.”

\---

“Henry, is your mom always that close with your auntie Emily?” Serenity asked as she carefully sat on the sofa with Michael in her arms, watching the boy play video games by himself. She eyed the two women interact with one another across the apartment.

“Yes, they’re always like that. Sometimes a bit closer,” Henry answered thoughtlessly.

Serenity raised a brow and quietly hummed to herself after hearing that answer. She watched as the two women talk close to each other, steal glances from one another, and occasionally drop their gazes to different areas before returning to where they originally were. She shook her head and looked away only to catch Garcia looking at her with a thumbs up.

“Do it,” the technical analyst mouthed.

Serenity furrowed her brow and wasn’t sure what exactly she was going to _do_ , but at least she knew she had someone on JJ and Emily’s team.

Maybe it was time to check on Emily’s happiness.


	9. Nine

Tutoring.

It was one of those days where Stephanie came over to tutor Serenity while she was away from the academy. The first of the two days often meant getting handouts and notes prepared from the teachers, while the second day meant doing the work pertaining to each class. This was the second day and Serenity had done most of the practice work, did most of the necessary homework that needed to be handed in, but she still had an essay to do which was already planned out.

It was halfway into the session when Serenity began to prepare dinner since she had nothing pressing left to do. Emily would be home soon enough and it always meant it was time to eat when she arrived.

“Would you like to stay for dinner?” Serenity asked, looking over at her law teacher who was still correcting her work. She paused in slicing the meat on the cutting board and waited for an answer.

“Are you going to keep asking me every time I come by?” Stephanie questioned back, lifting her gaze from the paper in her hands.

The teenager only raised a brow in response.

That was enough of a response to get Stephanie going.

“Okay, _okay_ , point taken,” the teacher answered, completing the correcting before placing the paper and pen down onto the dining table with the rest of the work and books. She stood from her seat and stretched her arms over her head before approaching the girl. “I’ll stay if it’s okay with Emily.”

Serenity chuckled and resumed slicing the meat. She bobbed her head from side to side as she considered Stephanie’s words.

“I’m pretty sure Emily won’t mind. It’ll give her an opportunity to meet you outside of the courtroom and the classroom, and get to know you and maybe the academy,” she answered. She looked over to the other woman and grinned. “Could you make the rice? I’m a bit preoccupied.”

Stephanie scoffed and rolled up her sleeves.

“Please and thank you,” Serenity quickly added when she heard the sound.

“Of course, _chef_ ,” Stephanie said as she reached for the prepared bowl of uncooked rice and began washing it in the sink. “You do know that having Cat over would be better for _academy knowledge_ than me, right? I’m still considered new to the staff.”

Serenity licked her lips and let out a low whistle.

“That doesn’t sound good,” the teacher commented.

“Asking Cat to come by for dinner without a buffer would be chaos. I would have to prepare Emily for all of Cat’s snark and sarcasm. Then, I would have to prepare myself to be able to sit through the tension of Cat versus an FBI agent,” Serenity explained which earned her a slow nod from the woman.

“True, but if you invite Cat with her son, then it should be tolerable.”

Serenity laughed and shook her head. “We both know Cat would see right through that plan and somehow sneak in little jabs that Carter won’t notice,” she replied back. She knew Cat all too well.

“Hey, um, are you making my favourite?” Stephanie asked while pouring the clean rice into the rice cooker’s pot.

“What _ever_ made you think of that?” Serenity questioned back as she started slicing vegetables only to hear another scoff. She smiled and made quick work of what was laid down on the board before her.

“Because you only _ever_ ask me to make rice when it’s my favourite,” Stephanie evenly answered as she poured enough water into the pot before closing the cooker.

Serenity grinned and put down her knife. She turned to the other woman and shrugged. “Teriyaki beef was my only way to make you stay for dinner at least once,” she said. She watched as Stephanie pressed the buttons on the rice cooker to start cooking.

“You’re lucky I didn’t have plans, Miss Song,” Stephanie jokingly said. “Also, did you _have_ to buy the most complicated rice cooker in the world?”  
  


“You managed to figure it out, didn’t you?” Serenity responded back. She turned to the stove and placed a griddle across two of the burners. Her grin turned into a small smile and a warmth filled her stomach. She turned to Stephanie and listened to her complain about the rice cooker… and it felt _right_.

_This_ was familiar. _This_ felt like normal again.

\---

When Emily returned home, she didn’t expect to find Stephanie still in the apartment. She didn’t expect the teacher and her student to be placing table settings on the dining table, either. What she did expect was for Stephanie to be on her way to leave, as usual, while she settled in to have dinner with Serenity. She always did find it to be a lost opportunity when Stephanie left. She wanted to know more about the woman and although she could ask Garcia about that, she wanted to know the _person_.

Here was the opportunity.

“Hi, Emily!” Serenity called out.

The unit chief smiled as the teenager jogged over to her and gave her a hug. It became a growing routine every time Emily came home and she appreciated _and_ loved it.

“Hey,” Emily whispered, hugging the girl back. When she pulled back, she headed to the living area and dropped her things there before returning to Serenity’s side. “How did you get Stephanie to stay?”

She saw Serenity look over to the teacher who began to blush. They approached the dining area and Emily noted the pause in Stephanie’s answer.

“She made my favourite meal,” Stephanie admitted, waving at the food on the table.

Emily turned to the dining table and saw the Asian spread that was laid out. She raised her gaze to Serenity and only saw a smug smile on the girl’s face. She tried her hardest not to roll her eyes at the girl and she managed to do that by motioning for everyone to sit down. Serenity and Stephanie sat across from each other while she sat at the end of the table. 

“Please do note that Stephanie made the rice,” Serenity commented as she put food on her plate. 

Emily heard the kick that went on under the table, but chose to ignore it. She added food onto her plate and glanced at the two. 

“Thank you both for the food.”

“You’re welcome,” the two simultaneously responded back. 

They began to eat dinner and every so often, Emily would ask Stephanie questions which the woman would truthfully answer. Questions about her job, her education, general questions about the academy; Emily wove around the woman’s life without being intrusive. 

“So, Stephanie, how old are you?”

The question earned Emily a light kick from Serenity. She ignored the girl and turned to the teacher. 

“I’m 29.”

“Oh, any potential suitors?” Emily continued on. 

“Not at all, too busy to really recognize any and bother with that right now,” Stephanie truthfully answered.

Emily nodded, but didn’t miss the way the teacher glanced at Serenity. She spared a sidelong glance at the girl and saw her looking down. 

That was something to note.

\---

A couple hours passed when Stephanie left after dinner, leaving Emily and Serenity to lounge on the sofa and watch TV. Emily could tell the girl wasn’t in a great mood, most likely from the question about dating she asked. She looked over at Serenity and nudged shoulders with her.

“You okay?”

There was a brief moment of silence.

“Did you _have_ to ask Stephanie _that_ question?”

There it was.

Emily chuckled and tossed a cushion at the girl. “Of course! I was curious! It isn’t really an ideal question to ask, but I wanted to know.” She wondered if Serenity would ask _why_ she wanted to know.

“I almost expected you to ask her what her intentions were with me,” Serenity bluntly said.

Maybe not. Though, the girl had the right idea.

“Well, I would have if you didn’t kick me,” Emily replied back. “Honestly, it’s interesting to see how well acquainted you two are with each other.”

She saw the way the teenager stopped moving and fell quiet. She tilted her head to the side and wondered what was going through Serenity’s head. Was she considering her options of telling the truth?

“ _Honestly_ , she used to babysit me when I was younger. Truth be told, I had—still have a crush on her.”

Emily nodded and wrapped an arm around Serenity’s shoulders, pulling the girl close to her. “I won’t let you date her until you’re eighteen.”

“ _Emily_ , stop joking,” Serenity retorted back, trying to get away.

The unit chief kept her hold tight and cleared her throat. “Who said I was joking?”

Serenity stopped moving and looked at her. “You’re okay if I date a girl?”

Emily blinked and nodded. “Yes, why wouldn’t I be? I’m not _straight_.”

“You’re… okay with me dating someone while there’s an age gap?” Serenity quietly asked.

“Serena… if it’s Stephanie, I’m not opposed to it.” Emily softly smiled, hopefully conveying her sincerity and support.

“Have _you_ dated another woman? With an age difference?”

Emily chuckled and nodded. “My past was quite a feat; I have to tell you.” She did see other people throughout her life and she was never ashamed of it.

“So, does that mean you may have feelings for JJ, then?” Serenity quickly questioned back. This had the older woman do a double take at the girl.

“What are you talking about?” Emily was sure she had kept her feelings under close monitor, but for Serenity to easily see it? Who else had noticed it, too?”

“Emily, don’t deny it. I saw the way you two were during the dinner,” Serenity carefully answered. “The looks, the stolen glances, the closeness; it speaks more than just _friendship_.”

Emily leaned back against the sofa and closed her eyes. She thought she maintained enough distance, but it was clearly evident she did not.

“She’s _married_ , Serena.”

“You can still have _feelings_ and not do anything about them,” Serenity retorted back.

“Serena…” Emily trailed off.

“It’s mutual, I think,” Serenity continued on. She stood up from the sofa and smiled. “You’ve got someone good by your side, Emily.”


	10. Ten

_JJ called in sick. Can you check on her?_

Serenity looked at her phone and simply stared at the text message Emily sent her. After unfolding Emily’s feelings for JJ, now the woman seemed interested in having her tag along in the ride of her feelings. It was a very glacial and anticlimactic ride of feelings, she had to admit.

Why did _she_ have to check on JJ? Unless this was some overly vague text message, she really had no other reason to check on the agent since Emily knew the woman was sick. She didn’t even know where the woman lived! She didn’t even know why that was a relevant thought.

_Got it_.

She texted back anyway. She scrolled through her contacts and found JJ’s number, immediately pressing call. She held her phone to her ear and heard the line ring several times before it was answered.

“Sewena?” the nasally voice sounded like Henry.

“Henry, is that you?” Serenity asked as she focused on the voice on the other end of the line. 

“Yes, did you wanna talk to my mom? She’s asleep.” Sniffles and a sneeze followed suit. 

“How about you tell me your address and I’ll come over, instead?” Serenity scrunched up her nose at the idea of the entire family being sick. She would have to make a lot of soup. 

“Okay,” Henry replied back, telling her the address of their home. 

She noted it down on her hand and softly sighed. “I’ll be by in half an hour, okay? When your mom wakes up, tell her for me.”

“Okay-- can we finish the game we played before?” Henry quickly asked. 

“We’ll see, bud. Take care, I’ll see you in a bit.”

“Bye,” Henry said before hanging up.

Serenity let out a deep sigh as she hung up and placed her phone on her desk. Tending to sick boys was not part of her agenda for the day, but she would accept the challenge, nonetheless. She stood up and walked over to her dresser, pulling out her academy tracksuit and a loose-fitting shirt. She changed into that and gathered her keys, phone and her empty backpack before making her way downstairs. 

Without much thought, she packed the video game console Henry played on and a couple of games he was playing the night of the dinner. She slung the bag over her shoulders and made her way to the kitchen. 

This time, she took a plastic bag from one of the drawers and opened the refrigerator. She began pulling out vegetables needed to make soup and placed it into the bag. She also went into the pantry for some rice and added it to the bag, too. She looked at the spice rack and brought a couple of spices along with her. 

With everything set, she placed her phone in her pocket, took the bag of groceries in one hand, while her keys were in the other. She slipped on her shoes and left the apartment, locking it. As soon as she made it to ground level, it didn’t take long for her to hail a taxi. 

\---

A headache was starting to set in.

JJ pinched the bridge of her nose and hoped it would go away. She wouldn’t have called in sick for just a headache, but both Henry and Michael were sick with a cold, too. When Henry told her Serenity was coming over to see them, she nearly cursed out loud for having fallen asleep with Michael and not answering her phone.

So, she quickly dialled back the teenager as soon as she was told. It didn’t take more than a couple of rings for an answer.

“Hey, Serenity,” she greeted.

“Hey, JJ, I heard you were sleeping,” Serenity replied back.

“Yeah, the boys are sick and I fell asleep with Michael earlier.” JJ rubbed her forehead. Stupid headache. “Henry said you were coming by. You don’t have to.”

“Well, I’m under strict orders of a particular FBI unit chief to check on you,” Serenity retorted back.

The words had JJ momentarily forgetting her headache and it put a smile on her face. Emily, _of course_. She watched as her two boys sat on the carpeted floor of the living room and watched cartoons.

“Really, you don’t have to come by, we’re okay.” She could hear rustling.

“Well, it’s a bit too late for that since I’m already at your front door.”

JJ stood up from her seat on the sofa and made her way to the front door. She opened it and there was the teenager clad in a tracksuit with a backpack on, carrying a full plastic bag. She hung up the call, along did Serenity, and stepped aside.

“You should have at least called me back to pick you up,” she said, taking the plastic bag from the girl. She watched as Serenity slipped off her shoes and simply shrug.

“I’m familiar with taxis _and_ when Henry answered your phone, telling me you were asleep… I didn’t think you were okay enough to be driving,” Serenity answered back.

JJ closed the door and led Serenity to the living room. She was amused when Michael got to his feet and hugged the girl’s legs once he saw her. Henry stood up as well, but he waited for a quick high-five, instead.

“Hey boys, how are we feeling?” Serenity asked, crouching down to be at eye level at the two. She scanned the two and noticed their red runny noses, pink cheeks, and sporadic coughs and sneezes. “Not that good! All right, I’m here and I’m going to help you two-- maybe three-- get better.”

“I’m not sick,” JJ quickly stated, only to see the girl stand back up and look at her. 

“Hopefully, it stays like that,” Serenity replied back. “I’m going to make soup and you’ll be having some as well.”

JJ looked down and saw Henry tug at Serenity’s pant leg. 

“Did you bring the game, Serena?” 

She turned to the girl who turned to her son. 

“I did, just to keep you busy while I make soup. Once you start getting dizzy, stop playing! I don’t want you and your brother getting sick everywhere,” Serenity answered, running a hand through Henry’s mussed hair. 

“I’ll take this to the kitchen,” JJ said, lifting the bag of groceries. 

She watched as Serenity slid off her backpack and pulled out the video game console from inside. She was about to offer help until it was obvious that the girl was able to manage connecting the console to the TV. So, she made her way to the kitchen. 

She began unpacking the groceries on the kitchen island and saw how well-prepared Serenity was for them. She pulled out the cutting board and the knife block, setting them on the island for the girl to use. In a couple of minutes, she heard the tell-tale sounds of a video game starting up and saw Serenity entering the kitchen. 

“Are you sure you’re not sick?” Serenity asked her as she approached the kitchen island. 

“I’m _sure_ ; I just have a headache from keeping up with the two,” JJ replied back, taking a seat on a stool at the island. “Thank you, though, for coming by.”

“Thank Emily for texting me to check on you,” Serenity explained as she started washing the vegetables in the sink. “Honestly, I would’ve came over anyway after hearing how Henry sounded.”

JJ nodded and watched as the girl came back to chop the vegetables she washed.

“He sounds the worse between the two, but Michael is the one with a slight fever.”

“I would’ve expected your husband to be watching them, in all honesty,” Serenity commented, quickly going through a couple stalks of celery. Then, she realized she was faced with silence. She looked up and saw that JJ turned away. “ _JJ…_ ”

“It’s complicated,” JJ answered. She turned back to the girl and shrugged.

“I won’t tell Emily, if that’s a problem.”

The agent took a deep breath and slowly released it. She looked up at the girl and saw her patiently waiting. “We’re preparing for divorce,” she quietly answered.

“Ahh… I’m sorry to hear that,” Serenity sincerely replied back.

“You’re not going to ask why?”

Serenity smiled and shook her head, going back to cutting more vegetables. “It’s none of my business, JJ. If you want to tell me, then you can, but otherwise, you don’t have to.”

JJ nodded and thanked the girl for understanding.

“I’m going to raid your fridge for a bit, okay? I didn’t want to haul Emily’s fridge with me,” Serenity jokingly said.

“Go ahead; what’s mine is yours,” JJ answered, seeing the girl turn to her.

“Funny, Emily said the same thing to me when I first walked into her apartment,” Serenity said with a chuckle.

JJ could only smile at the image.

\---

“Whatever you put in the soup knocked them out,” JJ commented as she saw her boys sleeping in the living room. She returned to the kitchen and found Serenity sipping on the coffee she made.

“It’s the old practice of making them eat so much they get so tired,” Serenity sagely said.

“Food coma?” JJ simply asked.

“Absolutely.” Serenity chuckled.

JJ smiled and returned to her seat at the dining table across from the girl. “Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome, JJ.” Serenity paused and tapped the edge of her mug.

“What is it?” JJ could feel that the girl was itching to ask her something. She knew about what and knew what they said earlier, but she didn’t mind.

“May I ask how long you and your husband have been separated for?”

JJ nodded and reached for her coffee. She expected a brilliant mind to be curious. “A few months now, and luckily the boys are taking it well.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Serenity said. “Are _you_ taking it well?”

JJ paused and looked at the girl. She pursed her lips and nodded. “It was something that was coming. We loved each other, but we realized we didn’t love each other the same anymore.”

Things changed and as badly she refused to admit to it, it still came to the surface. She wondered if telling the girl was the right thing, but it felt _okay_. Telling _someone_ than _no one_ felt relieving.

“How long do you plan on keeping it from the team? It doesn’t seem like they know.”

“You’re really asking the tough questions, aren’t you?” JJ chuckled. She knew she had to face them at some point and she was lucky it was with someone she considered a friend and not someone else.

Serenity shrugged and only had a soft smile on her face. “You’re surrounded by behavioural analysts who’ll eventually pick up something is different. When mom can’t find a _sitter_ to watch her boys when she’s away on a case… it isn’t the way you’d want them to find out, right?”

“I know, I just… I don’t know how to tell them.”

It was the truth. JJ had no idea how to tell the people she called her family that she was divorcing her husband. She had too many worries about what they would think and say. They were with her throughout her marriage, so she had no idea what would be the outcome of this situation.

“Well, starting off with the closest person you know will help. For what it’s worth, you don’t have to tell them a lot from what I’ve seen at dinner; they never questioned why the boys were there with you. They’ll understand and support you.”

JJ nodded and smiled at the girl. It was refreshing getting _it_ off her chest. “Thank you.”

“I’m here for you, too, JJ.”

\---

“Serena?” Emily called out as she walked into the apartment and found dinner unusually unprepared. She looked at the shoe rack and found Serenity’s shoes there, meaning the girl was at home. Either Serenity _just_ got home or something happened that day.

“Bathroom!” the girl called back to her.

Emily made her way up the stairs and found the main bathroom door open. She dropped her things off in the doorway of her room before tentatively walking into the bathroom. 

“Long day?” she asked. There she found Serenity in the bathtub under a large amount of bubbles with a towel over her eyes. She didn’t expect the girl to be exhausted after what she asked-- requested her to do.

“You were right to check on JJ; her kids are sick and she might have caught whatever they have as well. So, I took a shower to wash off everything off, and now I’m taking a bath to relax.” 

Emily winced at the sound of everything. “That bad, huh?”

“I may be infected, too, if Michael sneezing right in my face accounts for anything,” Serenity replied back, never moving from her spot. 

“Oh…” Emily sat on the edge of the tub and apologetically smiled at Serenity’s mishap. “They’re doing okay, otherwise?”

“Yeah, they were fed and medicated before I left. I made sure of all of that.”

“You know, when I said check on them, I didn’t mean for you to actually go over to their house; I meant for you to give her a call and see how she was doing.” Emily hoped the girl didn’t do anything that involved her feelings.

“I did call and check, but then Henry answered and it was hard not to go over there when he sounded like he was going to ruin his nose with all the sniffling he was doing.”

Emily chuckled and saw Serenity pull off the towel from her face. 

“Real talk, you do not deny sick children,” Serenity stated in an even voice.

“That is very true.”

“Even if they don’t ask for you.”

“You insisted, didn’t you?” 

“Hey, if JJ answered her phone and said she was okay _and sounded okay_ , then I wouldn’t have gone over, but she didn’t.”

Emily shook her head and flicked some bubbles at the girl. “You didn’t say anything to JJ, did you?”

Serenity wiped the bubbles away from her face and raised a brow. “They’re your feelings to admit, not mine. I’m just here to watch.”

Emily shook her head and flicked more bubbles at the girl. “Continue resting and I’ll order takeout.”

“Thanks, Emily.”


	11. Eleven

It would’ve been difficult for any other student to cope with all the sudden pressure. The difference was she was Serenity Song.

She expected things to be hard when she returned to school. Being gone for more than a month after the highly publicized trial had its share of rumours about her and her family. Unfortunately, it had spread like wildfire and she could do nothing to protect her family’s name. All the teachers tried to do their best to settle the students and help her, but there was only so much they could do.

It was lunch when Serenity finally found her reprieve. She knew where she could duck into so she could regain her composure and eat her food in peace. Every step she took echoed in the hallway and it bothered her just how loud it sounded in her own ears. Thankfully, it didn’t take long for her to go to where she needed to go and the door was luckily still open.

“How are you holding up?” the person in the room asked.

Serenity closed the door to the classroom and walked over to her spot during homeroom right beside Stephanie’s desk near the back of the room. She shrugged off her backpack and placed it on the floor, pulling out her lunch from her bag.

“I’m… doing as well as can be, but I wish they would stop _talking_ ,” she answered back. She opened her lunch and looked at it before eating.

Stephanie nodded and pulled out her own lunch as well. “I’m sorry that we can’t do any more than what we’re already doing. You know your friends are trying their hardest for you, too.”

“I know and we’ve talked and agreed that it’s best that we keep to ourselves until most of this blows over. As much as they want to be there for me, I don’t want them getting into any trouble because of me.”

“You’ll all have your troubles simply by being friends, you know that?” Stephanie questioned back. 

“Yes, I know, but the less they interact with me then the less trouble they’ll get,” Serenity answered. 

It wasn’t the most ideal situation or plan, but it was the best thing she could think of that would get them all through this difficult time. She didn’t want anyone else dragged into her family’s mess and she didn’t want anyone to make a bigger mess out of it. All she could do was wait. 

\---

Relief was all JJ felt when Emily asked her to pick up Serenity from the academy. It meant she could pick up her boys as well.

She drove to the academy and only heard excitement from the backseat because ‘big sister Serena’ was going to be riding home with them. She made it into the parking lot and told the boys she would be right back with their ‘big sister’.

As she neared the academy, she could hear yelling and loud blows from a whistle. She jogged toward the sound and saw a group of students fighting. No, she could see a bunch of students fighting _one_ person. Past the students, she could see faculty and security running in to break up the fight.

“I said, _stop_!’ Cat called out.

JJ watched as the one student being beat upon broke away from the group right into her direction. She caught the student and saw who it was.

“ _Serena_?!” she exclaimed in disbelief. The girl was battered and bruised, but looked more than okay than the five who were caught by security.

“Oh, hey, mom,” Serenity automatically responded back, getting to her feet.

Mom? JJ felt—well, she wasn’t sure how she felt. She was too preoccupied feeling bewildered at the girl’s present state to notice anything else. There was a growing bruised on her right eye and a bleeding cut on her left cheek. Who knew what else the girl was dealing with?

“Danvers Jr., call their parents!” Cat instructed. “Call the police, too!”

“What?!” the boys exclaimed.

“Your _stupidity_ brought this on yourselves—bringing _weapons_ on school property? Expect some of you to be expelled,” Cat responded back. “Danvers Sr., take the Grandmaster to the nurse’s office and make sure she’s okay. If she needs to go to the hospital, let me know first, otherwise, _no one leaves the premises_!”

JJ watched as a woman with short, red hair approached them. She regarded her with some caution.

“Come on, Serena,” the woman said, ducking under the girl’s right arm.

“And you are?” JJ asked, following the two back toward the academy.

“Alex Danvers, chemistry teacher, but sometimes I fill in for the nurse,” Alex answered. “And you?” 

“Jennifer Jareau, FBI agent; I was picking up Serena because her guardian was staying late for work.” 

“Damn, Song; you have some serious connections,” Alex stated. 

JJ inwardly scoffed as they made their way to the nurse’s office. The school was mostly empty except for faculty and students doing extracurricular activities. Luckily, they didn’t have to go too far since the office was near the front of the school. 

“Okay, up you go.” Alex ducked out from beneath Serenity’s arm and led her to one of the beds in the room. 

“Nothing’s broken, Alex; I just need ice and something for this cut,” she said, shrugging off her jacket and unbuttoning her school shirt. 

“Chrissakes, Song,” Alex called out, seeing the bruising around the girl’s left side as she returned with a first aid kit. “I know you think you need to let them get in a few hits to make it look even, but don’t risk your safety,” the teacher reprimanded. 

“You _let_ them hit you?” JJ asked in disbelief.

Her maternal instincts began to rise to the surface. She wanted to take the girl to the hospital to be checked upon because the bruising looked far worse than what was said.

Serenity looked at the two and nodded. “Do you think it would look good if the adoptive child of the Robertson family easily defended herself against a bunch of seniors with weapons?”

Silence.

“The cut was laziness on my part, but the shiner and lovely plum side I’m going to have was deliberate. So, yeah, I _let_ them hit me,” Serenity added with a huff. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath. “Sorry, they just said a lot of things and I had to try _really_ hard not to fight back and put _myself_ into trouble.”

Alex tilted her head and pressed a cotton ball soaked with alcohol to the cut. She winced, but didn’t flinch at the sting of the alcohol.

“Forgiven,” Alex said while she cleaned the wound. “Don’t let there be a next time, okay? Cat will burn down D.C. if this happens again.”

“That’s a scary thought,” Serenity whispered.

“And you and I both know she’d do it just for you,” Alex added.

“I’m going to have to call Emily if the staff haven’t already,” JJ stated, pulling out her phone from her back pocket. She saw the girl ready to protest, but it died just as quickly as soon as she started the call.

“ _Hey_.”

“Hey, can you come by the academy? It’s Serena; she was caught up in a fight.”

“ _Already on my way_.”

JJ looked at her phone and saw the call had ended. She turned to Serenity and saw her quietly seated on the bed as Alex applied a bandage on her cut. How did the girl get away with such minimal damage when the boys looked worse? Why did she have to allow herself to get hurt _this much_ to make a point?

“Serena, are you sure nothing is broken? That this isn’t just some adrenaline high you’re on?” she asked, moving to sit at the foot of the bed.

“We’ll have to give it some time,” another voice said. Everyone turned to the door and found Stephanie walking in. “She once broke her arm and didn’t realize it until an hour later.”

JJ perked at this new information. She watched as Alex asked Serenity for consent before checking the bruised area. She couldn’t help but wince at the pressure and potential pain the girl could be in, but she showed little to no reaction. 

“Thanks for the info, Steph,” Alex said. “Nothing feels out of place, so we won’t have to take her to the hospital, but her guardian needs to keep an eye on her once she goes home.”

JJ sighed a breath of relief and wondered how Stephanie knew about that piece of information. 

“Hey, is it okay if I bring my kids in? They’re waiting in the car and I don’t want to leave Serena until Emily, her guardian, is here,” she said. 

“JJ…” Serenity trailed off. She didn’t want the kids to see her like this.

“I can give them a tour of the school and keep them preoccupied so they don’t have to see her too much in this state,” Stephanie offered. 

“Thanks.” JJ stood and left the office and walked out of the academy for her SUV. She unlocked the backdoor and saw her boys playing with each other only to look at her to see if Serenity was around. “Hey.”

“Where’s Serena?” Henry asked. 

“Serena is still inside doing work, so we’re going to go inside and wait for her there. Is that okay?” JJ asked back. 

“Let’s go!” Michael said, trying to unbuckle himself from his seat. 

JJ laughed and unbuckled Henry, letting him out before helping Michael. She locked the SUV and the three of them returned to the academy where they found Stephanie waiting a little bit past the nurse’s office for them. 

“Mom, is this a castle?” Michael asked in awe of the building’s architecture and design.

“Almost,” Stephanie said, bending down to meet the boys. 

“Henry, Michael, you’re going to go with the teacher and look around the academy, okay? When you get back, Serena should be done.”

Stephanie waved to the two boys. “Hi, I’m Stephanie, let’s go look around!”

“Is this a scary castle?” Michael asked, taking Henry’s hand. 

“I don’t think so,” Stephanie answered, looking around the area. “Let me show you my classroom and where Serena sits.” 

“Okay!” Michael said, following the teacher, pulling his older brother with him. 

“Don’t get lost, you two,” JJ called out, watching as her sons moved beside Stephanie. As soon as they were far enough, she returned to the nurse’s office and found Serenity laying down with an ice pack on her side and eye. She sat by the bed and softly sighed. This shouldn’t have happened. 

“I’ll be fine,” Serenity croaked out.

“You don’t sound fine,” JJ retorted back. She saw Serenity smile at her and shook her head. “The boys will be back soon enough.”

“Do I look horrible?” Serenity asked, pulling away the ice from her face. The bruise was becoming visible and the skin around it was pinkish red from the cold of the ice. 

“You look… like you got into a fight,” JJ answered. She pressed her lips together at the sight of the blackening eye and sighed. “I’ll make sure the kids take it easy on you when they see you.”

“Okay.”

“You’re on your own with Emily when she gets here.”

That made Serenity wince.

“Will she get mad?” the girl asked.

“If I was your mother, I would be seething mostly because you got hurt. She’ll be worried and displeased that you deliberately let yourself get hurt, but she might understand.” 

JJ watched as the girl fall silent and fall into her thoughts. She hoped she said the right things. She momentarily remembered Serenity calling her _mom_ and she felt a little confused. All she felt was a protectiveness over the girl. Was this what Emily felt when she first took Serenity in?

\---

After three expulsions, two adults pressing charges, and one unhappy teenager, Serenity finally made it home with Emily. It was a silent and tense trip, one that the teenager never experienced before.

“I’m glad you didn’t get hit on the head with a bat or a knife,” Emily commented, her voice filling the silence between them.

Serenity hummed in acknowledgement and sat at the dining table while the other woman took out the takeout boxes for their dinner.

“You’re not going to school tomorrow,” Emily added.

“What— _why_? It’s only a _scratch_!” the girl protested.

Emily stared back in disbelief. “You were attacked with three knives and two baseball bats; _there were no scratches part of that equation_.”

She couldn’t comprehend how Serenity could simply get back up and go back to school like that. Then again, she couldn’t say much when she would do the same about work. If she were to get caught up in an altercation in the field, she would still make it to the office the next day.

“How mad are you about the whole thing?”

Emily simply stared at her again in silence. What kind of question was that? It was quite evident just how _mad_ she was.

“Right, you pressed charges with Cat,” Serenity said, taking a box of food. 

“If you didn’t know how to fight, then you’d be in the hospital right now. I’m glad that didn’t happen,” Emily stated, taking a box and looking at the black eye on the girl’s face. 

“Me too.”

Emily shook her head and looked down at her takeout box. She opened it and thought about the footage of the fight she saw when she arrived at the academy. It was clear that Serenity had the advantage despite the odds, but it was also clear she didn’t fight back to her fullest potential. She was truly glad that all the girl received was a couple of bruises and a cut, but she also hoped that there wouldn’t be a next time.


	12. Twelve

When Serenity woke up (in pain, no less), she was thinking about making breakfast when she saw it was about 9:30 AM. It was clear that getting into a fight took its toll on her and had her sleeping in more than she expected. Emily was right for her to take the day off; she wouldn’t have made it to her first class. She crawled out of bed, groaned from the pain in her side, and made her way downstairs to the kitchen where she smelled coffee and food. 

Emily must have stayed home to keep an eye on her. 

That wouldn’t do.

Not when she was the unit chief. 

She was about to make that comment out loud when she turned around the stairs, but it died on her lips when she saw it wasn’t Emily in the kitchen making breakfast. 

“JJ?” she called out, seeing blonde hair in the apartment’s kitchen. 

“Hey, you’re up,” the agent replied back, turning to greet the girl. “I expected you to be up and about when I arrived, but Emily said you were still sleeping.”

Serenity furrowed her brow and walked over to the dining table where she found two plates of waffles and eggs, and a pitcher of juice on it. She took a seat by an empty place setting and was tempted to rub her eyes to determine if she was seeing things, but stopped when she remembered she had a black eye. 

“What are you doing here?” she thought out loud. Her eyes immediately widened and she quickly backtracked on her question. “I mean, not that your presence isn’t welcomed, but shouldn’t you be at work?” she rephrased. She blinked a few times and looked at the blonde who smiled at her in amusement. 

“Well, Emily was worried that you might get yourself into more trouble if you stayed home alone, so she called me and asked me if it was a good idea to take a day off. I suggested that I come over, instead, since she’s the chief and I have too many vacation days saved up,” JJ thoroughly explained as she took her seat across the girl. 

Serenity thoughtfully nodded and motioned for the woman to take some of the food first. 

“Rather than protest, I shall simply accept what is happening and thank you for your generosity because I know this means a lot to Emily,” she said. “I really do appreciate you taking your time to come by. I also think you wanted to check on me after witnessing first hand what happened to me.”

JJ bit her lower lip and nodded. That was part of the reason. “You also did call me mom.”

Serenity’s brow rose at the statement and she froze in the middle of gathering waffles when she recalled that moment. She bobbed her head to the side and hummed. 

“Well, I must have been really in the moment to have called you mom. I hope you didn’t mind,” she said, resuming her gathering of food. She wondered why that happened.

“I didn’t mind, but to be fair, I was more preoccupied with what happened to you than you calling me mom,” JJ replied back. 

Serenity nodded and began eating. 

Maybe calling JJ mom wasn’t a bad idea. If Emily found the courage to step up and do something about her feelings, then maybe JJ could be her mother one day. Then again, Emily had to find out that JJ wasn’t particularly married to Will anymore. She also had to figure out if JJ had feelings for Emily, too. 

Shenanigans.

“So, you haven’t told anyone about your separation?” she asked out of the blue. 

“No… I have thought about telling Penelope, but I feel like everyone would find out about it really quickly and I’m not ready for that.”

Serenity nodded and poured herself some juice, thinking of a response. 

“What about Emily?” she asked. When she noticed JJ momentarily stutter in her movements, she kept a note of it. “She doesn’t seem like someone who’ll tell the world about your situation.”

JJ nodded. “That’s true; I also know Penelope wouldn’t either, but I guess there’s something about Emily. We’ve been through a lot and she would be the best person to tell since she’s the one who pushed me to Will, but I haven’t been able to find the time to tell her because of everything going on.” 

Serenity took a sip of her juice and chuckled. “Oh, don’t mind me! I can hold my own! You’ll never really find a perfect time, you know? The worst thing that’ll happen is she asks you what’s going on and you’re the one who’s unprepared to deal with it.”

“Aren’t you a wise one this morning?” 

Serenity smiled and turned back to her food. “You’re my friend, JJ; I care about you. I don’t want you to go through anything unexpected, especially when you have the boys to think about.”

There was too much at stake. 

\--- 

When Serenity headed off back upstairs to get dressed and washed up, JJ started to wonder what was going on after the 40-minute mark. She heard the girl go from room to bathroom and back after her shower, but that was ten minutes ago. She expected Serenity to have come down by that point. So, she went upstairs to check what was going on. 

“What are you doing?” she asked, when she saw the door open and found Serenity packing a duffel bag full of clothes. 

“How about we go to your house, instead? It’ll be a nice change for me,” the teenager replied back, closing up the duffel bag. 

“You just want to see my kids after school, don’t you?” JJ questioned as she watched Serenity pack her backpack for school. “Are you planning on staying the night?” 

“Why not?” Serenity grinned and slung her filled backpack onto her shoulders. 

JJ shook her head and took the duffel bag that was handed to her. She poked the teenager’s forehead and began walking out of her room. She didn’t realize how easy it was to be with the girl. 

“No consoles, it’s a school night,” she stated as she made her way down the stairs. 

“Yes, ma’am,” Serenity jested, grabbing her keys and phone. 

They left the apartment with Serenity locking the door and headed down to the parking lot where JJ’s SUV waited. The two placed the bags they were holding into the backseat and took their seats in the front. 

“Did you want to go somewhere before we go to my house?” JJ asked as she started her vehicle. She glanced at the girl and saw her shaking her head.

“Nope, not with this black eye.”

JJ chuckled and exited the parking lot, making her way home. She glanced every so often to the side when she saw the girl setting up her phone to the car’s Bluetooth system. In a couple of moments, the SUV was filled with music from Serenity’s phone. 

“What kind of music is this?” she queried, unfamiliar with the language being sung. 

“Korean pop-- I usually spearhead an East Asian Cultural night for the academy which usually ends with a concert by the students. So, students tend to sing and dance to this music,” Serenity answered, bobbing her head to the beat of the music. 

“Do you sing and dance with them?” JJ was intrigued to know if this genius athlete was also musically inclined.

“I oversee the training of the singers and teach the dancing,” Serenity easily said. 

JJ shook her head and smiled. What could this girl not do? It was a fleeting question, but the answer came quickly. She couldn’t save her family from incarceration, but she did save them from doing worse things. 

\--- 

When JJ returned home with her boys, it was strange hearing someone singing and cooking in the kitchen. She knew Serenity was there, but after Will left it was always a quiet house. 

“Serena!” Michael exclaimed as he recognized the voice and ran off to the kitchen. 

“Serena’s here, mom?” Henry asked, looking up at his mother. 

“Yes, she is; she took the day off from school and came over,” JJ answered, noticing the smile that lit up her oldest boy’s face. 

“Awesome!” 

“She didn’t bring video games! You three still have school tomorrow,” JJ quickly added. She expected Henry to be dejected at the words, but he wasn’t. She saw him kick off his shoes and take off to the kitchen, too. 

“Serena!” Henry called out. 

“Henry!” Serenity called out, peeking her head out from the kitchen’s doorway. 

JJ laughed when she found Michael hanging off of the girl’s hips only to remember she was injured near there. “Michael, be careful!” 

“I’m okay, JJ!” Serenity said, giving Henry a high-five before ruffling his hair. “Come on, I made an after-school snack for you two.”

JJ followed after and dropped off the backpacks in her hands in the living room. She made it into the kitchen fast enough to see Serenity waddling with Michael around her, while Henry took a seat at the dining table. 

“Did you make an after-school snack for me?” she jokingly asked as she leaned against the doorjamb. 

“I made enough for all of us,” Serenity said as she looked over her shoulder and sat Michael down in his chair. “Come, join us.”

JJ moved away from the doorway and sat down at the dining table where she found a spread of cut fruits with little muffins. She reached for some slices of apples and a blueberry muffin and placed it on the plate in front of her. She watched as the other three did the same. She couldn’t help but smile when she saw Serenity converse with her boys, taking an interest in what they had to say in what they did that day at school. 

She really was like an older sister to them. 

She mused while she ate what it would be like to have someone like Serenity as her daughter. Everything seemed so right; Serenity had her ambitions and seemed to know what she was doing which meant she could guide her younger two as they grew up. 

That would remain as a fantasy. 

“Emily will be by in a few minutes-- she said she took off early because she’s worried about me,” Serenity stated, pulling her out of her stupor. 

“Oh, yeah, that’s okay. Are you two going to stay for dinner?” JJ asked, ready to get up and see what was in the refrigerator. 

“Don’t worry about dinner, I’ve already started prepping,” Serenity said. 

\--- 

Emily knocked on the front door and was surprised to see Serenity answer the door with Michael on her back. She furrowed her brow, but entered when the girl motioned for her to walk in. 

“Serena, you’re hurt,” she quietly said, taking her shoes off. She watched as Serenity shrugged and closed the door. 

“I’m okay as long as he doesn’t kick. Come in, come in, JJ’s in the kitchen cooking dinner.”

“You’ve been kicked out of the kitchen?” Emily asked in surprise. That was new since Serenity always took care of the cooking and often shooed her out kitchen. 

“It was either work on dinner or help Henry with his homework and keeping this little guy stay calm,” Serenity answered. “It was obvious what my decision was going to be.”

“Are you good here?” Emily asked, dropping her things in the living room. 

Serenity grinned and wiggled her eyebrows. “Go, I’m good here.”

“Serena… stop that,” Emily warned, narrowing her eyes. 

Serenity chuckled and led Emily to the kitchen. “Come on, I need you to make sure dinner doesn’t get burnt.”

“Who said dinner was going to get burnt?” JJ asked, turning to the doorway. 

“Serena,” Michael answered over Serenity’s shoulder. 

“And that’s my cue to leave! Take care my dear mother and my dear friend I accidentally called mom,” with that, Serenity took off back upstairs to Henry’s room leaving the two women together. 

Emily raised her brow and turned to JJ. “She called you mom?” 

“When I literally caught her at the brawl yesterday,” JJ answered, returning her gaze at what she was stirring. “She didn’t realize it.”

“Was that okay?”

“Yeah, I mean, it’s Serena… there’s nothing to complain about.”

Emily nodded and approached the stove and saw what was being made. Stew, a fairly hearty one. She could imagine the boys knocking out immediately after this dinner. Then, something immediately made her think. 

“JJ, where’s Will?” she asked. 

That’s when she saw the other woman pause stirring and freeze altogether.


	13. Thirteen

The question almost made time stand still.

JJ looked away from the stew and saw the expectant look on Emily’s face. That wasn’t what she expected to hear right out of Emily’s mouth. She wondered how she put it together. Her eyes returned to the food and she closed her eyes, taking a slow, deep breath. 

“What are you talking about?” she gently asked, looking at the other woman. There she saw compassion and caring in Emily’s eyes. She felt a strong tug at her heart forcing her resolve to crumble. Now was not the time to be stalling or deflecting. It was obvious what Emily was talking about.

“I don’t smell his cologne, his shoes aren’t at the front, he’s the one who usually picks up the kids… and you’re not wearing your wedding ring today,” Emily answered, eyes dropping to JJ’s left hand.

JJ looked down and inwardly cursed herself for her lack of foresight. She was about to move away from the stove when Serenity walked in with a huge grin, only to slow down to gauge the situation she was entering into. There was something in the air.

“Did I walk into something?” the girl asked, approaching the stove to stir the stew. 

“Why didn’t you tell me I wasn’t wearing my wedding ring?” JJ asked back, turning to the girl. She didn’t mean to blame the girl, but it was the first thing that came out of her mouth. She expected Serenity to have said _something_ about _that_.

“Wait, _Serena_ knows?” Emily questioned, looking between the two. 

“Hold on, _what_ do I know?” Serenity turned to the two older women in confusion. “Also, you haven’t been wearing your ring for _weeks_ , JJ; I thought it was a conscious choice.”

JJ walked over to the kitchen island and took a seat. Her sense of balance started to teeter and she _really_ needed to sit down for this entire thing. She didn’t realize she hadn’t been wearing her ring for _weeks_. The entire _team_ probably knew something was up by _now_.

“Did you know her husband hasn’t been here?” Emily asked, directing the question to the teenager.

“Yes,” Serenity honestly answered, realizing the conversation at hand. “You two talk, this stew will just simmer for the next while, and I’m going to keep an eye on the two upstairs, okay?” She slowly walked out of the kitchen before breaking out into a run for the second floor.

JJ ran a hand through her hair and saw Emily sit across from her at the island. She frowned and didn’t know what to say. She didn’t expect this to happen so soon. Not after talking about it with Serenity.

“How long has it been?” Emily softly asked.

There was no point in lying. Not to Emily.

“A few months and we’re finalizing our divorce soon,” JJ quietly answered. She couldn’t look Emily in the eye as she spoke, not about this. Not when her feelings were beginning to get in the way. 

“ _A few months_ \-- JJ, why didn’t you tell us? Have you told anyone else on the team?” 

“I didn’t know how to, not when most of you were there since day one with him,” JJ replied back. “I wanted to tell any one of you, but I wasn’t sure _how_. Serena became the person who found out and she urged me to tell someone before one of you found out… like _this_.”

She should’ve moved faster. Had she known she had faltered in her movements; she would have spoken up sooner. To whom? Most likely to Emily because she was the unit chief and one of her closest friends. She briefly wondered if this was Serenity’s way of getting her to talk to someone. If it was, it would have been very cruel of her. 

Or was it?

“Serena knows how to make people talk, doesn’t she?” she asked. 

“That girl is really something,” Emily answered. 

“What are the odds that she set this up?” 

“It’s likely, but I’m pretty sure she was more worried about your situation and your sons than actually bringing me here to make you confess about what was happening,” Emily explained. 

JJ nodded and smiled. “She was only thinking of making things easier for me, huh?”

“She tends to do that,” Emily said. “She thinks about others before herself.”

\--- 

After dinner, Emily and JJ took care of cleaning the dishes and left Serenity to tend to the kids. It was a fun dinner, one that neither of the two expected, but both wanted again. It was interesting to see their ‘kids’ interacting with each other and for Emily it meant a lot to see Serenity adjusting to a new life. 

For Emily, that entire scene was something she wanted to remember. It felt like they were a family. 

“Hey mom, is it okay if we sleep over tonight?” Serenity asked, poking her head into the kitchen. 

“Sure,” JJ and Emily simultaneously answered. They looked at each other, then to Serenity before Emily cleared her throat and nodded. “I’m going to assume you already packed enough for the both of us?”

“Of course!” Serenity replied back. “Guess who’s reading you both bedtime stories!” she called out, turning away from the kitchen. 

Both JJ and Emily heard cheering from the living room and laughed. 

“She’s really good with them,” JJ commented, handing a wet plate for Emily to dry. 

Emily chuckled and nodded. “We had a great preview at dinner that night and I guess you had another chance to see it when she came in and checked on you when you called in sick.”

Then, it hit her. 

“Was that the day you told Serena?” she asked. 

JJ let out a little sigh and answered, “Yes. She was so kind and I couldn’t… I couldn’t _not_ tell anyone anymore.” 

Emily put away the plate she dried and placed a hand on the other woman’s shoulder. “I’m not judging you; I’m just making sense of it all. You’ve come a long way with her, you know?”

She remembered how things were difficult with JJ back then when Serenity first came into their lives, so it was great to see how things have changed. She hoped things would remain on a positive outlook from now on. 

“She really is a great person,” JJ said. She rinsed her hands and dried them with a nearby towel. 

Emily smiled and patted the woman on the shoulder and nodded. “I told you so.”

JJ rolled her eyes at her and smacked her shoulder. 

Emily chuckled and put away the towel she was holding, only to follow the other woman to the living room where she found the nearly unexpected. There was Serenity on the couch watching TV with both Henry and Michael asleep on either side of her. 

“Food coma struck a lot sooner than expected,” Serenity commented as she carefully removed herself from the couch. 

Emily watched as JJ picked Michael up while Serenity lifted Henry up into her arms, both of them headed upstairs to each of the boys’ rooms. She sat on the couch and mused that maybe this was what it was like to have a family with JJ. With Will almost out of the picture, it could be more than a fantasy. 

\--- 

“Are you _sure_ you’re okay with sleeping on the couch?” JJ asked, watching as the pajama-clad teenager nod and carry the blanket and pillow with her back downstairs to the living room. She turned to Emily and saw her shrug. 

“Are you _sure_ you’re okay with me sleeping in the same bed as you?” Emily asked, clad in one of Serenity’s gym shirts and sweatpants. 

JJ sighed. “You two are my guests; you two should be sharing this bed.” 

Emily chuckled. “I’m pretty sure Serena’s only doing this so she can make breakfast without waking any of us.”

The younger agent nodded and made her way to the bed. “We’ve slept in the same bed before in other cases, so this should be no different.”

At least, she hoped.


	14. Fourteen

_Hey, do you have school tomorrow?_

Serenity stared at the random text message and wondered who it was from. She picked up her phone and saw that it was from JJ.

_No, why?_

The reply was sent. She had a fair inkling as to why JJ was texting her that evening. She could see it as a reminder from the calendar on her phone.

_The boys don’t have school and I can’t find a sitter. Can you babysit?_

There it was.

Their school division had an in-service which meant no school for any of them. The teenager could only chuckle and reply in agreement which earned her a thank you and some choice extra surprises from the older woman. She spun in her chair and wondered what to bring for the next day. Clothes, some food, and one of her video game consoles should be enough. She stood from her desk and grabbed her duffel bag and emptied its contents onto her bed. She went through her dresser and packed new clothes, some candy, and headed down the stairs to the living area.

Ever since JJ spoke to Emily about what happened with Will, communication between the two became freer. The team were later clued in on (though all of them were already aware from the missing ring) and as far as Serenity knew, they supported JJ. Between Emily and JJ, they appeared to be closer than usual to her eye. Garcia pointed it out far too many times through texts. There wasn’t some hidden secret between them anymore.

Well, _one_ of two hidden secrets she was aware of.

Serenity could tell Emily wanted more whenever they were all together. Whenever she visited the BAU to greet the team, she always found JJ in Emily’s office, Emily in JJ’s, or the two talking off in some corner. What amused her was how Garcia always pulled her to the side and told her to do something. Garcia had tried so hard to get the two to admit their feelings for one another, but to no avail. Now, it was her turn. She still had no idea what she was _supposed to do_.

All the technical analyst said was the plan was her.

It was unfortunately too vague for her to figure out. So, she scrapped the entire statement and decided she’d try and set them up. Somehow. Just somehow.

“What are you doing?” Emily asked, watching her unplug one of the consoles from the television.

Serenity poked her head out from behind the television and waved a hand in the air.

“JJ asked me to babysit Henry and Michael tomorrow since we have no school tomorrow. That’s cool, right?” she asked, tugging the cables away and pulling her console out.

“Yes, absolutely! Consider them your little brothers,” Emily answered back.

Serenity couldn’t help but laugh while she cleaned her console and cords before placing them in her bag. She headed to the kitchen and placed her bag on the kitchen island.

“You know, you _just_ implied that I call JJ _mom_ , too,” she called out, pulling out some bagged goodies from the pantry, and adding them to her bag.

“I did—I _did_ ,” Emily said in defeat. “You better not get any ideas about setting us up.”

“I’m not, _mom_ ,” Serenity replied back while she readied some canned goods to bring the next day. “I’m sure that’s Penelope’s job.”

“Oh, please don’t be in cahoots with her.”

“Oh, so you _know_ Penelope knows you have feelings for JJ?” Serenity asked, zipping her bag and taking it to the living area. She sat beside Emily and nudged shoulders with her. "Who else knows?"

"Just Penelope, that _I'm aware of_ ," Emily answered. "So, please don't do anything suspicious."

Serenity nodded and smiled. "Got it, _mom_."

\---

The next day, when JJ heard the doorbell ring, she was quick to answer the door. When she found Serenity on her front step, she breathed a sigh of relief and pulled her into a tight hug.

"You're a lifesaver right now, do you know that?" she asked before stepping aside and letting the girl into her home.

"Anything for the boys," Serenity answered back, toeing her shoes off at the front entrance. She turned to JJ and hefted her bag against her shoulder, catching JJ's eye.

"Do you _need_ anything before I go?" JJ asked as she gathered her things.

"I've got it all covered. If I need anything, I'll call you," Serenity replied back. "Emily is waiting for you out front to go to work together."

"Thank you again!" JJ pulled Serenity into a tight hug again.

"Serena!" Michael called out, hearing voices in the front hall.

"Anytime, JJ," Serenity said as she was released from the hug.

JJ walked out with her things, closing the door behind her and saw Emily waiting for her on the curb. She smiled as she approached the SUV and climbed inside.

"Since when did we start carpooling?" she jokingly asked.

"When you started asking Serena to babysit more often," Emily answered with a smile as she pulled away from the curb. "You seem happy this morning."

JJ couldn't stop smiling and shrugged. "I guess knowing that you and Serena have my back is comforting. _That_ and the team isn't in the dark about Will and I anymore, so I don't feel like I'm hiding anymore."

"I'm glad to hear that, JJ," Emily sincerely responded. "Remember that, we're here for you. Sometimes, I feel like Serena is there for you more than me."

"Nonsense."

JJ spared a glance at Emily and shook her head. Serenity could never be there more for her than Emily.

\---

There was something wrong.

There was something undoubtedly wrong when Garcia read out the newest case. The case was undoubtedly familiar. This was something they dealt with before and here they were dealing with it again.

Emily looked at the files in the case folder and stared at the familiar symbol drawn with blood at every murder scene. It was Edward Robertson's signature from his robberies, but this time it was a robbery with a murder added on.

They were dealing with another copycat.

"Wait, so you're telling me that someone is copying the Robertson family… _again_ , but they're using gunfire to murder people instead of bombings?" Rossi asked, looking up from his files to Garcia.

"Short answer: yes, and we have another problem," Garcia answered as she flipped through the presentation on the monitor. "We've also been called in because Leonardo Robertson is missing and you're taking care of his adoptive sister, Emily."

Missing?

"Wait, what do you mean _missing_?" Emily questioned.

"I've been told that he's been kidnapped _and_ the only reason it's come to that conclusion is because some people tried to take his mother and sisters, too."

" _Kidnapped_?" Emily questioned back. "How do you kidnap someone from a _maximum-security_ prison?"

"Hold on," JJ interjected. "Are they targeting _just_ the Robertson’s?"

"I don't know, why?" Garcia asked.

"Oh god," Emily whispered.

"No, Serena is babysitting my kids!" JJ exclaimed. "What if she's a target, too?"

"All right, Garcia, call the police to meet us at JJ's house; we need to make sure whoever is doing this didn't take my daughter," Emily instructed, breaking everyone off into smaller groups. She approached JJ and placed a hand on her shoulder. "They'll be okay."

\---

Serenity didn't like the feeling she had when she was making the boys their morning snack. Her normally quick chop of the apples slowed down significantly when her intuition flared negatively. She would have been calm with hearing Henry and Michael watching TV, but there was something _wrong_. She didn't know what, she didn't know why, but there was something off.

When she saw the back door being tried open, she stopped. When she saw the door being tried open forcefully, she rushed off to the boys. She returned to the living room and turned off the TV. Without so much of a thought, she picked the boys up under her arms and rushed up the stairs to JJ's bedroom.

"Boys, I need you two to be quiet and stay here until your mom comes home, okay? Don't ever come out until your mom comes home," Serenity stated as she pushed the boys into the deep end of the closet, forcing them to sit down in the dark. "Stay quiet no matter what."

She ran down the stairs and as soon as she was at the bottom, the door flew open. Two men walked into the house and targeted her.

Both of them immediately charged at her, but she managed to dive out of the way. With a mental apology to JJ, she began to throw whatever was around her at the intruders to buy her some time to think. One tried to get her and she expected the other to be robbing the house, but that wasn't happening. Both men were trying to catch her; _she_ was truly their target.

"Come on, kid, don't make this any harder for yourself," the man with blonde hair said.

Serenity rolled her eyes and looked between the two.

"I would _have_ to since I can't tell if I'm going to die or not," she retorted back, swiftly going in and punching the dark-haired man right in the face, breaking his nose.

" _Fucking hell_!" Broken Nose exclaimed in pain, stumbling back as he held his nose. "You're going to pay for that!"

"In my defense, it's self-defence!" Serenity ducked a punch from Blondie and gave him a hard punch in the sternum, sending him back, winded. She was about to run for the kitchen to grab the knife she left, but the men were blocking her way.

"Come _here_!" Broken Nose shouted.

Serenity dodged a grab from him and another grab from Blondie, sending her on the other side of the room. There, she had the opportunity to get some kind of weaponry, but she felt her ankle grabbed, dropping her straight to the floor.

Luckily, she caught herself and pulled Broken Nose in and kicked him right off toward Blondie. Both of them crashed into the coffee table, breaking it. She jumped up and was a second away from taking off when a leg of the coffee table nearly hit her head. She grabbed the piece of wood and turned to the two who were getting back to their feet.

"Sorry, I don't go with people who are trying to _kidnap_ me."

Broken Nose came after her again and she kept him away with the wood in her hand. She kept him at bay, but then she wondered where Blondie went. Did he go after the boys? She turned around and felt a sharp pain at her head before everything went dark.


	15. FIfteen

JJ could only focus on the sirens blaring in the air as Emily rushed them back to her home. She kept praying nothing happened to her sons and Serenity, but she couldn’t shake off the feeling that something _did_ happen. Whether it was mother’s intuition or profiler’s experience, but she felt that Serenity could have been taken and with the way Emily sped through the traffic… she felt it, too.

Her hands were tightly clasped on her seatbelt, not out of fear of Emily’s driving, but rather of what they might find when they arrived. She hoped to whatever was listening to her that everyone was at home safe and sound. All she needed was for them to be _safe and sound_. Unfortunately, the closer they came to her house, the stronger the feeling of dread came upon her.

_Please be there!_

When the car finally hit a hard stop in front of her house, she noticed that the front door was still closed. Relief briefly set in; maybe they were jumping the gun. She fled the car with Emily right behind her and unlocked the front door. That relief instantly left her when she saw the mess in the living room from the front foyer. They immediately pulled out their guns and cautiously went in, worried someone might still be hiding somewhere.

The silence began to scare JJ.

She led the way into the living room and found it a mess. Her heart immediately dropped into the pit of her stomach when she saw the blood on the floor near a piece of wood. Room was clear. Next was the kitchen, where they found the broken door that looked out to a broken fence. They carefully made their way up the stairs, clearing each room one-by-one before approaching the master bedroom.

Where was _everyone_?

Where were her _sons_?

They entered the master bedroom and found it clear as well. They couldn’t help but put away their guns since they were both at a loss. Where were the three? Were they all taken?

“ _Henry_?! _Michael_?!” JJ called out in hopes that her sons were still _somewhere_ in the house.

“Mommy!” Michael’s voice sounded from the closet.

JJ rushed toward the sound of his voice and almost ripped the door open from the closet. She squinted in the dark, but found her two sons hidden deep in the corner. They crawled out to her, hugged her, while she hugged them back with tears rolling down her face.

“Oh, god,” she whispered, holding her sons tightly in her arms. She took slow breaths as she regained her composure and wiped her face before looking at the two boys. “Where’s Serena?”

“I don’t know, mom. She just turned off the TV and carried us up here. She told us to be quiet and stay there until you came home,” Henry explained, pointing back to the closet. “There was so much shouting and things breaking, but we did what she said.”

“She must’ve gotten them here before the struggle,” Emily commented with anxiety lining her voice.

JJ stood up and covered her face, only to run her fingers through her hair. “It looks like it. If they found the boys, then they wouldn’t be here, either.”

“From the look of things, we might have _just_ missed them,” Emily replied back, pressing her fingers to her forehead.

“JJ? Emily?” Rossi called out from downstairs.

“We’re up here,” JJ responded back, immediately hearing multiple footfalls approach the room. “Boys, why don’t you go with your Uncle Spencer to Henry’s room?” she asked, looking down at the two when she saw the man with Rossi at the doorway.

“I’ve got them, JJ,” Reid stated as he waved the two boys over and left the room with them.

JJ looked over at Rossi, then to Emily, who sat at the foot of her bed, hands covering her face.

“I’m sorry, Emily; I wouldn’t have asked her to babysit—”

“None of us knew, JJ; you don’t have to apologize,” Emily interjected. “Even if she was at home, she could’ve been kidnapped there. All we can do now is do our jobs.”

“She’s right,” Rossi said. “Luckily, your boys are safe, but now it’s time to do our jobs to find her. It looks like we were a hair too late, but that doesn’t mean the kid didn’t leave a trail for us to follow.”

“What do you mean by _trail_?” JJ asked. 

“Whoever was bleeding stepped on the blood and left a partial footprint. Also, since the kid put up a good fight, there should be some hair or fingerprints in the living room and on the back door,” Rossi explained. “Serenity fought for her life and the safety of the boys, but she also left us some things to use to try and find her even if she didn’t intend so.”

“Let’s get all of that tested,” Emily announced. “Hopefully, we’ll get a lead.”

\---

It smelled of dampness and mould, but something about it was memorable.

Serenity was awake by the time the vehicle had stopped to whatever destination it was headed for. She was clear-headed by the time she was being carried into a building; a building she was far too familiar with. She was blindfolded, but the sounds, smell, and layout of the environment was enough to trigger her memories.

She continued to act unconscious as she was carried who she supposed was Blondie’s shoulder. She could hear Broken Nose speaking from the side about how he had to get surgery to fix his beautiful nose. He was complaining the entire time and she was sure Blondie was tired of hearing it because she was tired of hearing it as soon as she woke up.

When she heard a door being unlocked and opened, she forced herself to stay silent and refrain from making any sudden movements. Why? Blondie unceremoniously tossed her into the room and she landed with a dull _thud_ onto the bare concrete. Her entire right side hurt, but she tried to remain as a ragdoll as long as possible.

There was movement from the other end of the room and then the door was quickly shut. She shifted onto her knees and wondered who else was in the room with her.

“Oh, god, no, Serena?” _Leo?_

“Leo?” she asked back when she felt the blindfold being removed from her face. She squinted as light entered her eyes and after a few blinks, she recognized her brother in his jumpsuit in front of her. “What’s going on?”

“I know as much as you do. Those guys were acting as guards at the prison and next thing I knew, I was knocked out, and when I woke up, I was here,” Leo explained, waving around the empty room they were in. “Are we in where I think we’re in?”

Serenity nodded and easily shifted her bound wrists from behind her back to her front where Leo quickly undid the rope. She didn’t even want to know why he was able to undo the knots that were supposed to keep her captive.

“We’re definitely in the old rental storage warehouse dad wanted to buy, but no one seems to have bought it after all these years,” she answered back, taking to her feet after Leo freed her. She walked over to the window and wasn’t surprised they were locked in that specific office. It was conveniently only on the second floor, but the windows were barred from the outside. No chance of escape there.

“What are the odds that you’ll tell me we’re stuck waiting here?”

Serenity turned to her brother and gave him a deadpanned look. “The odds are high.”

“Do you think the others will be taken, too?” The dread on Leo’s face was evident.

“I suspect that if they aren’t here now, then they won’t be here at all.” Serenity sat on the cold concrete and waved a hand in the air. “This was obviously well-coordinated, so if they wanted to get mom and our sisters, they should have been here with you. You four are in proximity of each other—I should be the last person they tried to get to since I’d be easy picking.”

“They’re targeting us for what reason?” Leo asked as he sat beside his sister.

Serenity sighed and turned to him. “This could be some kind of retaliation plot for everything that’s happened.”

Leo winced and leaned his head back against the wall. “There are _too many_ people to even consider as a suspect at this point.”

“But it has to be someone who knew us long enough to know about this place because there is no way someone pissed off at us for what happened recently would know about this place,” Serenity retorted back. “I mean, whoever is pissed off at us enough to kidnap us must have known us since I was a child.”

“There’s only one person I can think of.”

Serenity groaned and knew who her brother was thinking about. “Would she _really_ be capable of doing all of _this_? Aren’t we jumping to conclusions a bit?”

“She tried to send you to juvie for walking on her lawn like you were trespassing. I know you believe in having faith in _everyone_ , but the woman is a witch!”

“ _This_ is too much.”

“Nothing is _too much_ for Katherine Grant, especially when we’ve become the thorn in each other’s sides.”

\---

Emily returned to the office to look over the case files, but nothing new was coming up. No matter how much she went through it all, she couldn’t find a connection. She split the team up to see if they could find anything from the crime scenes, the kidnappings, and anything from JJ’s home, but so far, nothing connected them except the Robertson family.

All she could think about was that someone was out to get the family for what they did in the past. Retaliating for fraud and robbery didn’t make sense at all unless a huge heist occurred. It was an idea, but one that didn’t seem plausible since the Robertson family was too successful in their work. Perhaps, there were those who were angry that others were copying them and it seemed as if justice wasn’t served at all.

_Where does murder fit in all of this?_

She was at a loss with that point. What was the function of the individual killings? The bombing copycats were at it for the thrill of the explosion. Was this another thrill seeker? To rob and kill an individual was too personal.

She spun back to the beginning and pinched the bridge of her nose. Was there one unsub involved in kidnapping the adoptive siblings, and another who copied them? Or was there one overall unsub? Could there be groups? It was making her head hurt—there were too many possibilities.

What was the plan for the siblings while the crimes continued on?

What she knew was that if they hurt Serenity, she was going to make them hurt even more. If that blood on JJ’s living room was hers, she would make them pay.

No one was going to hurt her daughter!


	16. Sixteen

It was harrowing news finding out that Leo was suddenly missing. News outlets were saying that there was no foul play involved, in other terms: he was still alive and not murdered, just missing from a maximum-security prison. People were already talking about the story online and all of them led to one specific theme: Leo managed to break out because he had a genius sister on the outside. It would only be a matter of time before the rest of the family was jailbroken and they would all be on the run.

Stephanie doubted all of that. She knew the family and she knew Serenity; she wouldn’t do something so ridiculous even if it meant being with her family again. It was simply against her morals and what she learned growing up. What she was curious to know was how Serenity was dealing with this piece of information.

So, she made a phone call to Emily, but in return she received an invite to the agent’s home. She didn’t question it, instead she chose to drop everything and make her way there. Throughout her drive, she couldn’t suspend her feelings of anxiousness and concern when she didn’t receive an immediate answer over the phone. That wasn’t like Emily. She was normally straightforward about everything.

When she arrived at Emily’s apartment, worry pushed itself to the forefront. The woman was waiting for her at the door and motioning for her to come inside. What surprised her when she was inside was that someone else was already there, looking just as anxious as she felt, which was something she hadn’t seen before.

“Come, sit; Cat just arrived,” Emily announced, leading her to the dining table where a pot of coffee sat.

She simply followed and sat across the principal. It was strange to see the almighty Cat Grant fiddling with a coffee mug. Had something happened when Serenity found out the news of her brother?

“Thank you for coming over,” Emily said as she sat at the end of the table by the two.

“Did something happen to Serena? Is she okay?” Stephanie asked, pouring herself a cup of coffee.

“That’s what I’ve been trying to find out, but the lovely agent here decided to invite us here, instead,” Cat stated to the teacher.

When Emily remained silent, Stephanie could feel her heart squeeze in apprehension. She watched as the agent turned away and she immediately knew something was wrong.

“Emily, what’s going on? Where’s Serena?” she persisted. Now was not the time to be stalling; the suspense would kill both her and Cat.

“This morning, Serena was babysitting JJ’s sons, however; an hour or so after dropping her off… she was taken,” Emily answered slowly and completely.

Taken.

_Taken_?

“Wait, what do you _mean_ taken?” Stephanie questioned back. She wanted to ask more questions, but Cat already jumped in.

“Don’t you _dare_ tell us that Serena was kidnapped under the FBI’s watch,” Cat said with growl in her voice.

Emily nodded and closed her eyes for a brief moment before opening them again. “Serena and her brother had been kidnapped. Her mother and sisters were almost taken, too, but that incident was prevented. We don’t know why they were taken, but we’re doing everything we can to find them.”

“If you’re doing _everything_ , then why are you _here_ and not out _there_ looking for her?” Cat snapped back, leaning across the table.

Stephanie looked between the two and covered her face with her hands. “Cat, _stop_!”

“Chase, if you—”

“They can’t do anything if they don’t have anything to work with.” Stephanie looked over at Emily and took a deep breath. “They can’t do anything if they’re waiting for test results, either. They can search and search, but if they don’t have a _direction_ , they’ll be wasting their time and energy.” 

Cat fell silent. 

“I _know_ how you feel about searching for her-- I’m supposed to be her _mother_ , for crying out loud-- but Stephanie is right, we can’t blindly search for her when we could be investing that time where it’s needed,” Emily added.

“So, that’s it? We just wait?” Cat asked, sounding ever so slightly defeated. 

“Yes and no,” Emily began. “We have to wait and see what tomorrow brings, but right now you two can help me write a list of people who could have done this. Anyone who might have something against the Robertson family, including Serena. I don’t care if it’s a long list, but it’s better than nothing.”

Stephanie and Cat nodded. They watched as the agent walked away to get a pad of paper and a pen to write it all down. All the while, Stephanie couldn’t help but cover her eyes with her hands as tears started to sting her eyes. 

“Don’t you start shedding tears because we’re getting them back; we’re getting Serena back.”

Stephanie nodded at Cat’s words and willed the tears to stay back. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Serenity and Leo may be taken, but that didn’t mean they weren’t going to be rescued.

\---

“When are you going to admit that it’s Katherine Grant’s fault that we’re in here?” Leo asked as he looked out the window of the office.

Serenity scoffed and remained seated on the floor. “What _motive_ does she even have to do something like this? I still think you’re jumping to conclusions.”

She still didn’t know how her brother chose Katherine Grant of all people to be the leader of the group. It seemed too specific and too out of the blue to even be plausible. She understood that her family and that woman were on uneven terms with one another, but it couldn’t have meant that she was behind their kidnapping.

“Motive? Let me give you three,” Leo started with a clear of his throat. “Number 1: We scammed Katherine and we’ve always had an inkling that she knew we did it, but could never prove it. Number 2: What are the odds that she was somehow affected by the copycat? I heard she was around D.C. lately during the bombings. Number 3: The big one is being so close to her daughter—causing stoic Cat Grant become a soft kitten because of a child. Why ever would Katherine give her anything now that she knows her daughter has such a big weakness and can be played?”

Serenity scoffed again, but thought over the three statements her brother gave. The first one was definitely something worth thinking about, but if Katherine never knew they did it then she still wouldn’t be a suspect. The second one seemed very plausible if the woman was in the area of a bombing. If her brother did hear correctly, then revenge would be a reasonable explanation for their kidnapping. The third statement didn’t seem sensible enough to be a reason to kidnap them.

It was down to the first two statements with the odds falling on the second statement.

Nonetheless, it still didn’t _confirm_ Katherine Grant was the one who orchestrated their kidnapping.

Footsteps approached the door and she stood up while her brother eyed the door. They heard it unlock before the knob was being jostled and turned, allowing the door to open.

“Look who we have here.”

Serenity blanched at the sight of Broken Nose and Blondie at either side of Katherine Grant. The woman wore a smug smile on her face as if she had won the world.

“Do I have to tell you I told you so?” Leo asked, moving to Serenity’s side.

The girl sighed and stared at the older woman in disbelief. “ _You_ did this?”

Katherine grinned and nodded. “I did, I did. Do you like how I managed to get your brother out of a maximum-security prison? Money can still get you everywhere.”

Serenity’s face turned in disgust. “Let us go, Katherine, this is ridiculous. What do you want?”

The woman’s grin turned into a deep frown. “Ridiculous? What’s ridiculous is how your _family_ is only serving time for what they’ve done. Letting you go is also ridiculous because you’re no longer free people. The nation now thinks you’ve gone into a life of crime by breaking out your brother, returning to robberies, and now murdering people at gunpoint at these robberies.”

Serenity froze. “Murder? No, don’t you tell me that you’re a copycat criminal.”

“Oh, my dear girl, _I’m_ not, but _you two_ are. So, one wrong move by you two in here and _pop_ goes more people.” Katherine laughed at the sight of the girl’s helpless look. “That is what you getting for taking millions from me all those years ago. I was _not_ letting you do that to my daughter!”

“Daughter? _Now_ , you care about Cat? Or do you care about her money? Tell me Katherine, what are you getting out of this?” Leo asked, stepping forward, only to see the two men step forward, too.

“Of course, I care about her money—I invested in her, too.” Katherine sighed and looked between the two siblings. “I get to enjoy watching your family suffer like you’ve made me. At the end of the day, I don’t see either of you getting out of here alive.”

Serenity caught Blondie’s reaction to Katherine’s words in her periphery. She took note of that and placed a hand on her brother’s back. “You underestimate us.”

“No, _you_ underestimate _me_. You ruined my plans because you spawned that copycat, now it’s my turn to ruin your lives with my copycat.” Katherine turned around and headed out the door. “Good luck in getting away—the place is filled with bombs and armed men. It will be easy for me to say I was kidnapped by you two, but my people found me and gunned you two down. Good luck!”

With that, the men left after Katherine and shut the door behind them, locking it. Serenity and Leo looked at each other and immediately crouched to the floor, hands covering both their faces. They couldn’t believe what was happening.

“So, it’s Katherine,” Serenity commented, looking at her brother.

“Yeah, it is. What do we do now?” Leo asked, shaking his head as he absorbed all of the information from the conversation.

“We wait and see what happens. There’s nothing else we can do. If Blondie can get here by himself, _maybe_ we can get out of here.”

\---

Emily was in the office already going through the results of tests from the day before. Most of the tests were inconclusive, but the blood test. It told her that the one bleeding was Serenity. How bad was the wound? She figured it was minor if the trail ended before the back door. 

Time was ticking and they still had nothing but loose ideas. 

The best thing she could think of was based on what people were saying. She wasn’t deaf or blind to what people were saying about the situation. 

“Emily, did you go home last night?” 

The unit chief looked up from the papers on her desk and saw JJ at her door. She nodded and motioned for the other woman to enter her office. 

“Work with me on something,” she requested, watching as JJ walked in, closing the door behind her. 

“What is it?” JJ asked, taking a seat. 

“People are saying Serena broke Leo out of prison, but we obviously know that isn’t true. What if-- what if that’s the kidnappers wanted to make it look like that? What if the kidnappers and the copycats are the same? They kidnapped the two to pin it on them,” Emily explained. 

“What would they gain from murdering people, though? We don’t have a connection between the victims,” JJ replied back. 

“Murdering people would make it harder for the two to clear their name,” Emily retorted back. “I’ve been looking at the short list of people who were victims and they physically have similar attributes.”

“You saw it, too?” JJ asked.

“Hard to ignore when the targets are physically and visually similar to Serena. It’s obvious whoever is doing this has a grudge against her.” Emily pressed down the feeling of dread that welled in her stomach. 

“Could it be possible they’re doing this out of retaliation for the last copycat? They took Leo, too, so there has to be a reason to go through all that trouble.” JJ paused to think. “These people could have been victims of the bombings and are trying to seek justice for their loved ones in their own way. They must have kept their eye on the two for a long time to have carried this out.” 

“That’s what I was thinking-- whoever is doing this must be retaliating against the original reason for the bombings. If they’re trying to pin this on Leo and Serena, then they must have a detailed plan on how to do it. Like you said, they must have kept their attention on them for a long time, which means they’re trying to do things in the two’s footsteps.”

“What do we do, then? We’ve gotten to know Serena, but that doesn’t mean we really know what they did.”

“Which is why I also have a list of names of those who could have done it,” Emily said, pulling out the list she wrote out the night. “Stephanie and Cat were worried about Serena, so I asked them to come to my place to discuss what happened. We created a list of potential suspects, so all we have to do now is to narrow it down.”

“Emily, that’s a huge list! We can’t go through all of them,” JJ stated after seeing the length of the list. 

“I’ve already began crossing out names; all we need to do is find out who was a victim of the bombing.”

“But, why pick Serena as the target?” JJ asked. 

Emily bit her lower lip. “Perhaps, people think she’s still a Robertson that should be doing time as well.”

Then, there was a knock at the door. 

“Emily, there’s been another murder,” Garcia said, walking into the office.


	17. Seventeen

Serenity and Leo were sitting on the floor trying to come up with a plan to escape. Even with Serenity’s intellect, there were too many variables to account for if they wanted to break out. The building could explode while they were still inside, they would get shot at and they had nothing to shoot back with, and who knew what Katherine was doing with the murders. She couldn’t believe the woman was capable of _murder_ just to get revenge on them.

She knew Katherine didn’t like them, but she didn’t expect the woman to _hate_ them to this level.

“So, we can’t do anything but wait,” Leo said after they confirmed the lack of success for their nth plan.

“That’s what I said before, and after talking it through we really can’t do anything until we really know what’s going on,” Serenity replied back. She stretched her legs out in front of her and clasped her hands in her lap. Waiting really was their only option.

A few moments later, the doorknob rattled a bit before it turned and the door opened. Blondie appeared with what looked to be bags and drinks of McDonald’s in his hands. He walked further into the room and placed the food and beverages in the middle of the room.

“You two look… tranquil,” Blondie stated, eyeing the two siblings on the floor.

Serenity and Leo shrugged and watched him, trying to gauge what his intentions could be. They stood up and walked over to him with Serenity directly in front of him while Leo stayed back.

“Can we help you?” Serenity asked as she quickly looked the man over. He had a handgun holstered to his hip, but other than that he could easily be taken down.

“I brought you food because I don’t want either of you to be weak,” Rick answered, waving at the McDonald’s on the floor.

“Why would you do that?” Leo questioned, looking down at the food with suspicion.

“I know you don’t have any reason to believe me, but I didn’t want to do any of this. My name is Richard—people call me Rick, but that’s not the point—I was part of a group protesting the copycat bombers and the next thing I knew, I was being blackmailed into doing _this_.”

“Blackmailed? How does a protestor get blackmailed?” Serenity couldn’t see the connection.

“My brother and I don’t have the cleanest criminal records and Katherine found us because we could be easily manipulated while she deals with you two.” Rick looked back at the door and ran a hand through his hair. “This is getting out of control and I don’t want anymore deaths—I’m sorry about the headshot; you were really a great fighter.”

Serenity half-smiled and nodded. “Thanks? How can we believe you, then?”

Rick shrugged. “That’s up to you. I have to go now; I have another assignment and I need to leave before anyone outside gets suspicious.” He started to back away to the open door.

“Take the food or leave it,” he last said before leaving and closing the locked door behind him.

Serenity crouched down and opened a bag. She took out the fries and began to eat them.

“Serena, that could be poisoned!” Leo scolded, getting down, ready to smack the fries away.

Serenity scoffed and looked at the fries. “Katherine Grant would rather have me suffer a long time than die a quick death. That woman has been trying to get under my skin for ages.”

She watched as her brother stared at her in disbelief before taking a fry and eating it. 

  
“Besides, the poison would be in the drinks in this case,” she added, earning a wide-eyed stare from her brother. “If _Rick_ is truthful enough, we should be fine long enough for the BAU to find us. If not, I hope you liked McDonald’s as your last meal before we get our ass out of here.”

\---

Emily couldn’t suppress her disappointment when they arrived at the crime scene. A rather small bank was robbed and another female was murdered. Her disappointment stemmed at the fact that they couldn’t prevent this incident in time and a civilian had to pay the price.

She and Reid were going around the bank trying to find any kind of trail the unsubs could have left. After seeing the surveillance footage, it didn’t seem like there was a plan; the two men ran inside and went in guns firing. Three more men came in and gathered the money while the other two men picked a female to shoot. Once that occurred, they left the Robertson symbol and took off. Now, they were staring at the skid marks of the van that the unsubs used.

From what she could see, it was a cut and dry robbery and murder. There was no meticulous planning involved, no intent to be hidden from sight like the Robertson family or the last copycat… they just seemed to be a robbery group that used the Robertson symbol and murdered females.

“Does any of this make sense to you?” Reid asked. He was crouched down by the skid marks, trying to ascertain _anything_ from them.

“What do you mean?” Emily asked back.

“Whoever these copycats are should be adhering to some kind of plan to _not_ get caught—Edward Robertson meticulously planned everything because he received the thrill in getting away with everything. What’s happening here is the complete opposite; the unsubs practically want to be caught and are only leaving the signature as the only measure of _being_ a copycat,” Reid thoroughly explained as he stood from his spot.

Emily couldn’t argue with his response because whoever their unsubs were did not seem to understand the concept of being a copycat. She was about to reply to him when she saw something out from the corner of her eye. She saw Reid turn away again and continue to explain his theory about why these unsubs were doing what they were doing, but she made her way to the oddity in the distance.

Slowly, she approached the back of the bank and started to feel anxious as she kept moving. She was about to pull out her gun, but as soon as her hand was on her hip, she heard a click behind her. She inwardly cursed at her stupidity for being baited and not telling Reid to follow her.

Before she could do anything, she felt a sharp pain on her head and everything went black.

\---

Something felt off and it was such a strong pang of feeling, JJ couldn’t ignore it. She continued to speak with the lead investigator of the site, but she ended it quickly when the feeling began to gnaw at her from deep inside. She needed to know why it was happening.

She walked around the scene and tried to determine what was bothering her. One by one she accounted for everyone on the team that had gone with her and Emily to the crime scene. She found Rossi talking to Reid, but nowhere in the area could she see Emily. She went outside and didn’t find the unit chief in the midst of police officers and crime scene investigators.

She swore she saw Emily not to long ago. Where did she go?

If something had gone awry, they all needed to be aware of it. 

Rossi and Reid approached her, but there was still no Emily. She called the woman’s phone, but it there was no answer. When she looked at Reid, she saw a slight panic in his eyes. There was also uneasiness in Rossi’s eyes. 

“Where’s Emily?” she asked. 

“We don’t know,” Reid immediately answered. 

“What do you _mean_ you don’t know? She was right there with us,” JJ said as she looked around the site to try and find the unit chief. “Is she missing?”

“We were talking, JJ, then she was suddenly gone,” Reid shortly explained. “Rossi and I tried looking for her, but it’s like she vanished.”

“You know that isn’t how it works, Spence,” JJ retorted back. “Have you tried calling her?”

“I have and it keeps going to voicemail. I called Garcia to try and find her, but her phone is off.” 

JJ turned away from everyone and covered her face with her hands.

This was not happening. 

Emily could not be missing, too.

She turned back to the team and took a deep breath. “I’ll talk to the investigators to help us look around the area for any trace of Emily. Right now, she’s our priority.”

“Agents, we have a problem!” the lead investigator called out, catching JJ’s attention. The three approached the man to the security desk and saw him point to screens on the desk.

There was Emily at the back of the bank, but why? JJ furrowed her brow because Reid mentioned that she walked away without telling him. Why would she do that? Then, there was one of the masked unsubs holding a gun behind Emily’s head, only to hit her head with the back of the gun.

“Emily!” JJ called out when she saw the woman crumple and be caught by the unsub. She shut her eyes after seeing the man throw Emily over his shoulder and disappear off camera.

These men didn’t bother getting seen by the public when they were doing their crimes, but they had a plan on how to kidnap one of their own. Unfortunately, they got away with it.

This was going off the rails faster than possible. What was happening and why was it happening?


	18. Eighteen

“I’m starting to think that perhaps the food wasn’t poisoned,” Serenity commented as she laid on the floor and stared at the ceiling. The night passed and nothing seemed to be happening.

“I thought you were confident that it wasn’t poisoned to begin with, which is why you ate it,” Leo replied back while he did push-ups beside her.

Serenity swatted her brother on the arm and watched him dramatically fall onto the floor. She giggled and sat up when he remained on the floor.

“What do you think of Rick?” she asked, curious about what her brother thought about the man.

“He seems to be telling the truth, but that’s the standpoint of a former criminal,” Leo answered with a wry smile on his face.

“Did you _have_ to point that out?” Serenity questioned in a dry tone. She was already trying to ignore the orange jumpsuit, but its meaning was reminded to her again.

“Sorry, but it’s relevant. Dad and I were the ones always faced with our _clients_ , so I had to be able to read them. Rick reads to be a decent guy.”

“He did seem to flinch when Katherine pointed out that we wouldn’t get out of this alive,” Serenity replied back. She quietly sighed and looked at her lap.

Rick was an odd one, she thought. She knew people would do the right thing in the time of crisis, but he had turned on Katherine too soon. Perhaps, he felt truly guilty for his actions, but the man who tried to kidnap her didn’t seem remorseful at the time. Maybe this was a hoax and they were being set up.

Neither of them recorded his confession considering their lack of devices, and if they did get out who would believe them if Rick turned on them like he did with Katherine? 

It was all too suspicious. 

And all too in and against their favour. 

“Do you think the FBI will find us sooner than later?” Leo asked, pushing off of the floor to sit beside her.

“Unless they magically figure out it’s Cat’s mother who’s orchestrating this, then probably not,” she honestly answered. “Unless Katherine slips up, or some divine intervention kicks in… we’re stuck here.”

She didn’t like the sound of that. 

Neither did Leo. 

“I wish we could do _something_ ,” the man said in irritation.

“So, do I, Leo.” 

The door swung open and they watched as Broken Nose come in with a person over his shoulder. They watched as he laid the person on the floor and walked out, closing the door behind him with a smirk. 

“Mom!” Serenity called out as she jolted from her spot and dashed across the room. She easily recognized the unconscious woman without a doubt.

“Mom?” Leo questioned as he approached the two. 

“Yes, I call Emily ‘mom’ these days,” Serenity replied back as she tried to wake the woman. 

“You moved on quickly,” Leo offhandedly commented as he helped move Emily up against a wall. 

“Don’t even start with that,” Serenity retorted back in displeasure, turning to her brother with narrowed eyes. She saw him back off and shake his head. 

“Wrong timing,” the man said before apologizing and looking the woman over.

Serenity rolled her eyes and began patting Emily’s cheek. Slowly, she heard groaning and eventually saw the woman’s eyes begin to open. With a breath of relief, she stopped her motions, but stayed near as Emily regained consciousness. 

“Ow, what the--” Emily hissed as she held the back of her head. She looked up between the two and was both relieved and saddened to see them. 

“Well, at least I know how you got knocked out,” Serenity said as she pulled Emily into a hug which was gladly returned. 

“At least you two are all right,” Emily said back when she was released. “Chrissakes, you need something for your head,” she added when she saw the bruise and cut on Serenity’s head.

The girl watched as the unit chief looked over her and her brother, clearly scanning for any kind of injury on them. She wasn’t surprised when Emily honed in on the injury on her head, but she waved her off since it wasn’t a priority.

“So, what do we do now that we’re all kidnapped?” Leo asked, looking between the two.

“Hope they find out it’s Katherine’s doing and pray no one else gets kidnapped.”

“And murdered,” Emily added.

Serenity let out a slow breath and felt disgust go through her at Katherine’s doing. “And murdered.”

\---

It was a surprise when JJ showed up at her door, completely frantic. Stephanie couldn’t do anything but follow the woman to her SUV and return to the BAU because in the agent’s ramblings, all she heard was that Emily was also kidnapped. They had no leads and they couldn’t get access to Serenity’s mother or sisters due to security reasons for any help. So, she was their last hope.

They arrived to the BAU in record speeds that worried Stephanie for their lives. JJ led her to the boardroom where everyone was gathered and felt absolute pressure fall on her shoulders. She sat at one of the empty seats around the table and was informed in detail about what was happening.

She couldn’t believe her ears about the copycats and what they were doing, but what she honed in on was that the FBI needed some kind of location to start looking. They were desperate for any kind of location because at this point anything was possible, but they didn’t have enough people to comb through all of D.C. to do so.

“Someone who knows them and has known them for a long time,” she carefully repeated.

“Yes,” JJ simply answered.

“There is an old rental storage warehouse that the Robertson’s were planning to buy because Serena and Leo would always play inside because it was abandoned. It’s out of the way and if people want to pin them as the masterminds of these new copycats, then it would be a good base. No one would think of it,” Stephanie explained, looking at the agent. “It’s nearby their house, but far from being considered a connection.”

“What’s the address? We’re going to go there right now,” JJ stated.

\---

JJ immediately sent everyone off to get ready while she went to her office to do the same. She heard a knock on her door when she gathered her bulletproof vest. She pulled it on and turned around to see Garcia walking in, closing the door behind her. 

“Hey,” she greeted, wrapping the vest’s straps around her waist. 

“Hey, I know I should be finding the locale of the warehouse, but we need to talk before you go, JJ,” Garcia replied back, fiddling with her fingers in front of her. 

The statement confused the interim unit chief. JJ looked at the analyst and furrowed her brow. 

“What is it? Is something wrong?” she asked back, concerned that something had gone on at some point for Garcia. She watched as the other woman paced for a few moments before stopping and looking straight at her. It only added to her concern. 

“Would you be able to handle it if you don’t find Serenity and Leo, especially _Emily_ , at the warehouse?” Garcia openly asked. 

JJ pressed her lips together and stiffly nodded. She saw Garcia tilt her head and stared at her with a knowing look. Garcia knew better. She sat at the edge of her desk and sighed, dropping her head. She eyed the rug on the floor and licked her lips. 

“We _have_ to find them _there_ , Pen,” she whispered. “I don’t want anything to happen to _any_ of them.”

“What if they’re separated, JJ? What if Emily is somewhere else?” 

JJ gripped the edge of her desk and closed her eyes. That was a thought that briefly crossed her mind, but never fully came about. She opened her eyes and looked at her friend with stinging eyes. 

“They _have_ to be _together_ , Penelope,” JJ started. “I don’t want to lose my _family_ like this.” 

The emphasis on family had Garcia nodding. 

“You won’t lose them, JJ; hold on and don’t let go once you find them,” Garcia said back, approaching her and placing a comforting hand on her back. 

JJ took a deep breath and knew she subtly admitted feelings for Emily, but she also admitted her feelings for Serenity as well. She turned to Garcia and hugged her, taking several deep breaths to calm herself as thoughts rushed through her head. 

She had to save her family.

—- 

Rick walked into the room without a word. 

He stood at the doorway with various firearms and everyone else in the room was worried about what could happen at any moment. He walked toward the three and placed most of the firearms in his hold onto the floor. 

“What are you doing?” Serenity asked, confused as she warily watched the man. 

“I’m busting you guys out of here,” Rick automatically answered as he stood up and handed each person a handgun. 

Serenity hesitantly took her gun and stared at Rick. “And this isn’t some elaborate plan of Katherine’s?” she questioned back.

“I’m done with her,” Rick started. “We weren’t supposed to abduct an FBI agent and make it worse for us,” he quickly added. “She thinks you and your brother are the biggest threat to her, so if you two are dead and an FBI agent is dead along with you— two birds, one stone deal; your family is ruined.”

Serenity gritted her teeth and checked the magazine of her gun. Thoughts ran around her head about Katherine’s doing and it all converged to that of Katherine needing to be stopped. She had no idea what the woman was up to or why she was so intent on _killing them_ , but it needed to end. 

“Do you have _anything_ to pin Katherine for her actions?” 

“You have my confession and most likely my brother’s… if we don’t get killed first,” Rick answered, breathlessly, looking out the office window. 

Serenity furrowed her brow and went through her thoughts only to wince. “Don’t tell me I broke your brother’s nose.”

Rick turned to her with an apologetic smile. “He has a bit of a temper. As for Katherine, I’ve kept a paper trail of our transactions and our conversations recorded, so it should be enough for _something_. If not, she’s right outside to come here to kill you three herself.” 

Serenity’s eyes widened and she ran to the window. What she saw froze her. 

“Serena, what’s wrong?” Leo called out. 

“She brought Cat and Carter,” Serenity replied back. She turned back to the three and held her gun tightly. 

“What the _fuck_?” Leo spat out. 

“What is going on?” Emily asked. 

“Katherine is going to use the two to force your hand,” Rick answered. 

“Well, we’ll see about that,” Serenity stated, cocking her gun. 

—- 

The pressure was unbelievable. 

Stephanie hadn’t known this kind of pressure in her life. None of past experiences such as exams or cases could compare to what she was feeling at that very moment. She could feel everyone’s expectations even if it wasn’t on her, specifically. 

Then again, she made the decision to put the location on the table and if the Serenity, Leo and Emily were not there she would feel embarrassment and everyone’s possible disappointment. That disappointment could be directed to her. 

She didn’t know how she felt about that, but she had the strongest feeling that the three would be at the warehouse she brought up. She couldn’t ignore her gut feeling, not when it was about Serenity. They were almost connected in a way because her intuition was never wrong when it came to the girl. 

She couldn’t lose Serenity. 

“We’ll find them, Stephanie— we’ll find her,” Rossi said, placing a hand on her shoulder. 

She looked over at the other man with questioning eyes. She shook her head and closed her eyes, only to open them and nod in reply. 

“They’ll be there for us to save them. They’ll be there,” she said with conviction.


	19. Nineteen

It felt like some kind of nightmare had dawned upon them. Cat couldn’t believe the length of her mother’s visit this time around. She knew her mother would come to D.C. to see Carter every once in a while, but it was so sporadic and short-lived, it didn’t matter. Unfortunately, now her mother stayed for longer than a week and was insistent that they do things together.

Like today.

Cat held her son close against her as her mother led them to what clearly appeared to be an abandoned warehouse. They were having breakfast and suddenly they were being whisked away to this warehouse for “special reasons”.

_Special reasons, my ass,_ Cat thought. She knew her mother was horrible, but she didn’t realize how ridiculous she was now that a place like this was involved. There was obviously something up her sleeve because that was who her mother was: someone with a plan that always benefitted one’s self. She only ever did anything for herself.

When they made their way through the front door of the warehouse, Carter was being wrenched away from her grip.

“Carter! _Carter_!” she cried out as one of the men took Carter to another room. She was being held back by another man and she was two inches away from utilizing her self-defence skills until her mother spoke.

“Calm down; you’ve always had a knack for dramatics, nothing will happen to him,” Katherine pointed out as she was led around the warehouse to an open stairwell for the second floor. 

Everything added up too quickly in Cat’s mind. It was obvious what her mother was doing— had _done_. She forced herself to remain stoic, but she was worried about Carter and what her mother was going to do to her. 

“Mother, what is this all about?” she asked. She asked enough times on the ride over, but she never received an answer. 

“You’ll see, dear; we’re almost there,” Katherine finally answered, though without detail. 

Cat clenched her jaw; she wasn’t ready to find out the answer of whatever her mother was planning. If her thoughts were correct, she wasn’t prepared to find out what would be behind whatever door they would go through next.

\---

“They must be coming,” Serenity whispered as she, her brother and Emily sat against a wall away from the door. She could hear multiple footfalls headed in their direction and summoned her racing heart to calm down. Being excited in any capacity was not going to do them any good; she had to be calm and ready to do whatever was needed of her.

“Once they draw their guns, we fight back—we can’t risk this taking any longer than it needs to if two more people are involved, especially a child,” Emily replied back, keeping her eyes on the door.

“Chances are they separated Cat and Carter, so we _really_ need to do this quickly before Katherine gets away with Cat or Carter, or even both of them,” Leo added, watching as the door handle jostle before turning. 

Serenity swallowed past the lump down her throat and saw Katherine enter the room with Cat and five men. She stood up and moved closer to them. 

“Move any closer, _Song_ , and we’ll see who suffers,” Katherine stated, grabbing her daughter’s arm. 

Serenity saw the shock on Cat’s face and tilted her head. “I didn’t think you were such garbage to use your daughter against me.”

That did it. 

“ _Me_ , garbage?” Katherine questioned in disgust. “Your _family_ is garbage for what they’ve done long before they adopted you. To think they tried to _do better_ by raising you; it doesn’t erase the fact that your adopted father was a greedy robber!”

“My father was _not_ a greedy robber!” Leo retorted back with a snarl, standing up from his spot and walking quickly toward the older woman. Emily immediately intercepted him and kept him back when she saw the men on the other side go for their sidearms. 

“And you didn’t pull a gun on your sister and the FBI when the copycat appeared,” Katherine verbally jabbed back. “If it wasn’t for your family, there would have been no copycat and I would have had that business transaction! You and your father stole millions from me back then and now, so don’t you _dare_ say he wasn’t greedy.”

“Business transaction?” Cat asked in disbelief. “You kidnapped these three because of a _business transaction_?!” 

“It was an important one that you would never understand, _Cat_! The Robertson family has been a thorn in my side ever since _Serenity_ found a way to _your_ side. God knows they were after your money by using their genius adoption.” 

Cat pulled her arm away from her mother and gaped at her. “I gain a _soft side_ for _one_ girl and the world is suddenly _ending_? Money isn’t _everything_ , mother!” She stepped toward Serenity and stood by her side. “ _You_ are the current copycat, aren’t you?”

“If you want to live, Cat, I suggest you step away from her right now,” Katherine stated. 

Serenity reached up for Cat’s left arm with her left hand and kept a loose hold on her. “It seems quite obvious where her loyalties lie, Katherine.” She saw Katherine’s brow pinch in distaste. 

“Then, let their blood be on your hands, _child_.” Katherine stepped back and the men pulled out their handguns. 

Serenity, Leo and Emily were faster. 

Three men were immediately down and Katherine was quickly being escorted out of the room by the other two. 

“We skipped a few parts in that exchange, but we’re going to get your mother and get Carter,” Serenity stated as she held Cat against her. She looked down at the mildly shaken woman and saw her recompose herself. 

“Carter is downstairs— they split us up when we entered, so he shouldn’t be too far from the door. We need to hurry before that witch gets away and takes my son with her!” 

Serenity chuckled and immediately caught another gun tossed toward her by her brother. “Let’s get out of here and take your mother down!”

\---

It was such an out of body experience. 

Seeing Serenity fight on video was one thing, but literally seeing her shoot for their freedom was another. Cat kept herself against the girl or her brother as they rushed out of the room. She allowed herself to be tossed around between the siblings as they fought their way through the hallway. 

Shot after shot, she was sure they were making progress back to the stairs. She never dared to take a peek to see what was going on down the hall, not when she felt Serenity’s protectiveness over her. She couldn’t risk getting hurt and having the girl blame herself, and she couldn’t risk Serenity getting hurt over her own stupidity. 

“Go, go, go!” Serenity called out, waving to Leo and Emily. 

Cat watched as the other two went carefully went ahead, while she and Serenity stayed at the back. She couldn’t believe how confident and battle-ready the girl was. It was almost unbelievable if it weren’t for the fact that she was literally in the situation. 

“Down!” Leo shouted. 

“Emily!” Serenity called out, motioning for Emily to fall back. 

Emily was her new guard and Serenity moved to her brother to take down the henchmen shooting at them. She watched as the siblings strategically moved around the corner, firing shots that sounded like they were hitting their targets. 

“I’m going ahead; cover me,” Leo instructed to his sister. 

_Cover him?!_

“Understood,” Serenity replied back. 

“Let’s go,” Emily said to her. “We’re going to stay a bit further back.”

God bless them as they tried to get out.

They needed to hurry if they were going to catch her mother and get Carter.

\---

The intensity was through the roof. 

Literally. 

Almost literally; they were beginning to shoot at the roof now that they had reached the open area of the second floor. There were henchmen on the third-floor raining bullets down at them, but luckily old storage crates and hallway corners gave them cover. 

Emily didn’t think she would be in a gunfight with Serenity and her brother while protecting Cat with other variables at hand. Hell, she never thought she would see Serenity using a gun in a real gunfight, but here they were fighting for their lives. The calibre of this fight was one she hadn’t been in for a long time and it gave her both a rush and anxiety. 

The rush was obvious, but the anxiety came from worrying about Serenity, Cat and Cat’s son. She worried about her daughter and her well-being despite the clarity of her capabilities. She worried about the civilian with them, and the potential hostage-- she worried about not getting them away safely. 

At this point, she was concerned none of them were going to get out without some divine intervention. How in the world were they supposed to catch Cat’s mother in this mess?

“We’re supposed to get out of here, somehow, right?” Leo called out from across the storage crate he was behind as he shot down a few men from the catwalk above them. 

“Yep! I didn’t account for this many men, though,” Serenity answered back, shooting down catwalk they were on where a few men were trying to go after them. 

Emily watched as the girl pulled back and looked down at the magazine of the semi-automatic gun she had. She moved back as Serenity curled in as gunfire came in their direction. She saw the amount of ammunition the girl had left and heard her sigh in response. She looked at her own guns and knew she was dwindling in ammunition as well. 

They had to move fast. 

“I’m going in!” Serenity called out, dashing out from her spot and down the catwalk to the stairwell, firing her gun. 

“Idiot!” Leo yelled, following suit. 

Emily grunted at the two’s actions and immediately pulled Cat after her as she followed the two. She could see the stairwell in sight and tried her best to shoot the people on the ground floor while protecting the principal. 

“Go!” Serenity exclaimed, jumping over the railing and landing on the ground with a roll. 

The unit chief’s eyes widened, but she saw Leo motion for them to take the stairs as he followed his sister and continued to shoot into the warehouse behind a storage pod. She and Cat rushed down the stairs and ducked behind the pod with the other two. 

“Em, we’re going to create a diversion so you two can get out and try and find Carter, okay?” 

“Serenity, no--”

“Mom, _yes_ ,” Serenity retorted back. “You need to get out and find him, and find help. Carter is our priority right now, along with Katherine. We can’t let them get away.”

Emily clenched her jaw and nodded. “Fine, but both of you be careful!”

“We’ve made it this far,” Serenity replied back, handing Cat one of the handguns behind her back. “Now, go!”


	20. Twenty

JJ clenched her jaw as Matt sped through the streets of D.C. to the warehouse. How far was it? The longer they weren’t there, the chances of something  _ bad _ happening to her  _ family _ grew. That couldn’t happen, not under their watch—not under her watch like this.

She held onto her seatbelt as the SUV swerved around all sorts of traffic and hoped  _ they _ would get to the warehouse in one piece. She trusted Matt’s driving, so she closed her eyes because her mind was focused on the three who were kidnapped. It escalated so quickly that it was clear whoever the unsub was had plans for them. Those plans were unlikely to be pleasant ones, which meant they needed to hurry.

Who knew what was happening to Emily, Serenity and Leo?

“We’re almost there,” Matt called out, which caught her attention. She opened her eyes and saw they passed the Robertson home for emptier streets.

The further Matt drove, the more worn-down the buildings were, but there was one particular building in the distance that caught her eye. She could feel it in her gut that it was the one Stephanie was talking about. Matt must have seen it because the SUV moved even faster along the pavement.

As they neared the warehouse, they could hear gunfire from various locations; inside and outside. Something was happening and they needed to move in as soon as possible without becoming casualties themselves. They both saw vehicles by the front garage door, but also saw men shooting toward the interior of the warehouse and to the furthest corner. What JJ saw had her quickly panicking; a man carrying a boy over his shoulder to one of the vehicles.

“Matt!” she shouted.

“I seem him!”

The SUV screeched to a halt in front of the vehicles and suddenly they were faced with a barrage of bullets. JJ immediately removed herself from the vehicle from her side and helped Matt out before she returned fire. It didn’t take long for the rest of the team’s SUVs, and police cars, to surround the two vehicles which had the men surrendering.

There was one more shot that filled the air outside and the man who carried the boy fell to the ground with a hand on his bleeding leg.

“That’s for trying to get away with my son!”

Cat?

There was the principal running toward them with a gun as she pulled her son away from the scene to the safety of the officers. Then, Emily emerged from the corner of the warehouse, too, with a gun in hand looking completely worried. What was going on?

As soon as Emily was behind the line of FBI vehicles, JJ looked between the three to make sure they were all okay, especially the boy.

“We need to get back inside; Serena and Leo are still in there,” Emily stated as she was immediately handed a bulletproof vest.

“We need to find my mother—she’s behind all of this,” Cat added, holding her son close to her.

Then, there were multiple explosions.

\---

It was all so sudden, but Emily immediately reacted by pulling everyone down close to the ground as explosions rocked the area. It took several seconds for it to end and as soon as it did, Emily turned around and screamed.

“ _ Serena _ !” She nearly took off to the flaming building, but was held back by someone. She could care less about who was doing it, but they needed to let her go so she could find Serenity and her brother.

“It’s still dangerous, Emily!” Matt called out.

She continued to fight him when she saw half of the building collapse into itself, while beams and concrete blocked the garage door they all faced.

“We have to go!” she cried out, only to be forcibly be pulled away from the frontline.

“ _ No! _ ” she shouted.

She couldn’t be losing her daughter like this. Not after they fought their way so close to the end. 

_ This _ couldn’t be  _ the end _ .

\---

Everything was ringing and hurting. Serenity shifted her body and whimpered when she felt pain throughout her body. She shoved away the rubble that fell on her and looked down to find a gash down her right thigh as well as her left upper arm. She carefully sat up and continued to clear the rubble away from her only to realize her brother was nowhere around her. She called for him, but it was soundless in her ringing ears.

Slowly, she took to her feet and whined in pain as everything burned and stung. She looked around and found Leo unconscious beside a layer of concrete. She hobbled over to him and tried to wake him to no avail. 

They had to get out before the entire warehouse decided to collapse on them. 

With much displeasure, she knelt down and pulled Leo enough into a prone position so she could heft him over her shoulders. Her bleeding wounds were already making it difficult for her to move, and the added weight of her unconscious brother made it worse. 

She could barely discern where the exit was with the flames and debris everywhere. Step by step she approached where she could just see the opening, but was met with a heated steel beam and concrete. 

Going over was the only way. 

With a small run, she reached the beam and vaulted them over with her left hand. She landed on the other side with a small stumble as she held her stinging hand to her body. She continued on her way and made it to the door where she was met with the BAU team.

Matt took Leo off of her shoulders and she was being aided along to the nearest ambulance by Emily and JJ. She saw something out of the corner of her eye and immediately pushed the two away. Without a thought, she pulled out the spare gun behind her back and fired twice. 

She heard two shots, too. 

She also saw Katherine fall from a distance and be swarmed by officers. 

Then, she heard her name before everything turned black.

_ Stephanie. _


	21. Twenty-One

Stephanie couldn’t believe her eyes when she stepped out of one of the team’s SUVs to find JJ with Emily and Cat. Why was Cat there? Was she also a kidnapping victim? Carter, too? What flickered in her mind was that she was actually correct in her chosen location. Emily was there and with her apparent eagerness to return inside only meant that Leo and Serenity were also there. 

They had to go in and get those two out. She wanted to approach the group, but the sound of gunfire from the warehouse itself made her wary. Nonetheless, she took a step forward toward the unit chief’s direction… 

… until multiple explosions from the warehouse had her taking cover. 

Debris flew everywhere and her thoughts focused on one thing: the siblings were still inside. It took several moments until the explosions stopped. When they did stop, she turned her attention back to the warehouse and saw it up in flames. Half of it had collapsed while the door that could have been the only exit was obstructed from the inside. She heard Emily screaming and flailing to return back into the building, but she couldn’t find it in herself to do the same. 

She didn’t know if she could cope if she ran in and found the two dead from the blasts. She didn’t know if she could cope at all if she was this close to seeing Serenity again, only to lose her in mere seconds. So, she waited; she waited for the building and the area itself to stop shaking. Patience was her forté and at that moment, she needed it more than ever. 

Time continued to pass and no one exited the building. There was no more gunfire, either. It could only mean that it was unlikely anyone survived the blasts. She continued to wait and pray to whoever was listening that Serenity and her brother were alive. 

It paid off when she saw Serenity hobbling out of the warehouse with her brother on her shoulders in a fireman’s carry. She released a sigh of relief when she saw them, but concern filled her when she saw the amount of blood on the girl’s arm, leg and clothing. She looked fine, otherwise, and that made her worry less. 

Matt took Leo away and everyone paid attention to Serenity…

… until the girl pushed everyone away and brandished a gun. 

She had it aimed in a very specific direction and fired twice, but what was more surprising were the two other shots that rang in the air. She looked back at the direction of the two other gunshots and found Katherine Grant falling to the ground with a bullet wound in her leg. That woman was not going anywhere with all of the officers swarming her. When she turned back to Serenity, she saw the girl with two bullet wounds in her torso, ready to crumble. 

“ _ Serenity _ !” she screamed out when she saw the girl fall back right into JJ and Emily’s arms. She rushed to them and saw the two agents doing their best to compress Serenity’s wounds with their clothing. 

Where were the paramedics?

She knelt and lifted Serenity’s head onto her lap, placing her hands on the girl’s cheeks. She saw the girl weave in and out of consciousness and it absolutely made her worry. 

“Come on, Serena; you’re going to be okay, just stay awake,” she said. She gently patted one of Serenity’s cheeks to try and keep her awake, but it was obviou she wasn’t going to stay awake much longer. 

“Where are the medics?!” she cried out, looking around the area. She could see them coming, but when she looked down again, Serenity had already lost consciousness. 

“ _ No _ , no, no! Stay awake, Serena!” she exclaimed, but to no avail. Nothing was going to wake her up. 

When the paramedics arrived, she had to let the girl go. She watched as the pair of medics lifted Serenity onto the stretcher and wheeled her back to the ambulance. 

Again, she had to wait. 

“Stephanie, come with us; we’re going to follow them,” JJ told her, offering her a hand. 

She took JJ’s hand and stood up, walking with her, Emily, Cat and Carter to another SUV. As soon as they all entered, JJ immediately took off to follow the ambulance. 

All she could think about was the injured and unconscious girl in her grasp. Just thinking about Serenity like that made the drive last no longer than what felt like a minute. They were soon in the ambulance bay, following the paramedics into the hospital. She watched as Cat moved away with her son to the nurse’s station, while she, JJ and Emily followed as far as they could. 

They were stopped right at the entrance of a bed and were being ushered away to allow the doctors to do their job. The last thing she saw was people cutting away Serenity’s clothing, and blood just being  _ everywhere _ on her. 

\--- 

The wait was excruciating. Emily prided herself on many things and being patient was one of them, but that all changed when Serenity entered her life. Then again, she may have still been the same person with nothing particularly changing except for her priorities. Right now, her priority was Serenity’s well-being, but she was helpless and powerless in doing anything. She was stuck waiting for a doctor to appear and tell them how her daughter was doing. What she needed to know was if her daughter was still alive.

She couldn’t sit still in her chair as they all waited in the waiting room. 

She wasn’t sure how Stephanie was able to do it, while it was near impossible for her. Then again, she could see Stephanie’s lips moving ever so slightly in what appeared to be recitations of prayer, especially with how her hands were clasped together. 

They needed a miracle. 

Serenity and Leo shouldn’t have been able to get away from those explosions alive, but they did. Leo was awake and recovering, but Serenity had been in surgery for nearly three hours and there was no update. 

They were all so close to getting out, but Serenity and Leo insisted on staying and she agreed to it. She didn’t know what she’d do if that call was what cost Serenity’s life. 

“For Serenity Song?”

Emily jumped at the voice and immediately approached the man wearing scrubs, who looked weary. She didn’t like that appearance, but he didn’t look anywhere near remorseful or saddened in any way. Serenity must still be alive. 

“I’m her guardian,” she said as she moved in front of everyone. She could see Cat and Stephanie in her periphery ready to hear the news. 

“I’m Dr. Parker Evans and I’m glad to say that Serenity is stable, but we’ll be moving her into the ICU for now due to the extent of her injuries,” the doctor started explaining. 

“How bad are her injuries?” Emily asked. 

“She sustained a lot more than what appears, unfortunately,” Parker answered shortly. 

Emily blanched when he explained every injury the girl sustained. Multiple bone fractures, excessive blood loss, internal bleeding, potential brain swelling, second degree burns, deep tissue wounds-- the list went on. She didn’t know how Serenity managed to  _ survive _ . She didn’t know how she carried her brother out in her state. 

Someone was definitely watching over her. 

“For now, I’m only going to allow two people for visitation at a time in her condition. The last thing she needs is an infection,” Parker finally ended. 

Emily nodded and turned around to everyone. 

“I’ll make the decision for you, agent; you and Chase go otherwise you two will worry yourselves to death,” Cat stated with no room for any objection for the rest of the group. 

“Okay,” Emily said, turning back to the doctor. 

“Follow me, please,” Parker said. 

Emily glanced at Stephanie and saw her face the doctor with undivided attention. She followed the doctor and prepared herself for what she was about to see. 

\--- 

Serenity couldn’t understand how she was at a campsite at dusk. It was a familiar one at that; one she frequented when she was growing up, but it didn’t make sense. One moment, she was at the warehouse, fighting for her life and the next moment when she woke up, she found herself at the campsite completely unscathed. 

She saw a campfire in the distance and approached it, noticing a figure seated on a log. Tears stung her eyes when she recognized the posture of the person. 

“Dad?!” she called out as she jogged toward the campfire. She saw the figure perk at her voice and turn to her. 

It was Edward. 

“Dad!” she cried out. The man stood up and she barreled into his arms as she began to sob in the familiar flannel shirt he always wore when they went camping. 

“Ren? What are you doing here?” Edward asked. 

Serenity looked up for a moment to see his concerned face only for her to press her face back into his shirt.

“Oh, Ren,” Edward whispered to her, rubbing her back. 

“Katherine tried to kill us!” Serenity exclaimed, although muffled, in her father’s shirt. 

“I know, Ren; I’ve been watching all of you and trying to keep you out of trouble.”

Serenity looked up at her father again and saw the soft expression on his face. She sniffed and frowned. “Where are we?”

Edward chuckled and motioned for her to sit on the log beside him. She did so while wiping her face free of tears. 

“I would consider this… purgatory,” Edward simply answered, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. 

“Wait, I’m  _ dead _ ?”

“You shouldn’t be since the doctors did everything they could to stabilize you, so I’m surprised to see you here, too.” Edward reached for a stick and stoked the fire. “Maybe this was His way of letting us see each other again for a short time.”

Serenity leaned into her father and nodded. “I missed you. Everyone still misses you.”

“I know, Ren; I miss all of you. I also know you have a lot of questions for me.”

Serenity looked down at her lap and sighed. “Dad, why did you do all those crimes?” She heard him sigh, too.

“For the thrill of knowing I could get away with it. Getting the money didn’t matter as much as getting away with every scheme. It did become a Robin Hood-esque adventure when we went after the rich.”

“Why did you stop?” 

Edward smiled at her. 

“Crashing into you and taking you in were the main reasons. What your brother said was true; I stopped because of you, when your parents told me to take care of you. Killing people was not part of my agenda, so what happened that night was the turning point of my life.”

“How did you not get caught?”

“If I was going to honour your parents’ wishes, then I couldn’t let myself go to jail for crashing into them. It’s twisted, in a way, but I had a new calling to life. There were no witnesses and like you I have a brilliant mind that helped me figure out what to do. If I could get away with my past crimes, then a car crash would be no different. Since no one sought justice for your parents… I got away with it.”

“Dad…” Serenity whispered in disbelief. This was madness. 

“I had to do what was best for you.”

“Was mom really okay with you taking me in just like that? What about everyone?” 

“She was hard pressed, granted the circumstances. Her soft spot for babies made it easier to sway her. As for everyone else; they were old enough to understand what was happening, so they had no visible qualms about taking you in.”

“Wasn’t it hard to stop doing everything just like that? All of you spent years doing it!”

“Well, Ren, when I found out I couldn’t get away with simple things like being Santa Claus when you were two-years-old, I realized I could do what was fun for me into something that was a learning experience for both of us.”

Serenity gasped when she remembered her past. “Is that why you kept doing all those scavenger hunts for my birthday presents that one year?!”

Edward laughed hard and loud. “I wanted to see if we were like two peas in a pod… and we were.”

“I flexed my brain while you exercised your fun; that’s sneaky.” Serenity shook her head and looked at the fire. “Then, you passed away. I don’t know if I ever really processed it that well.”

“You grieved in your own way and you made it through, Ren; that’s all that matters. I’m glad all of you were able to move on and not stay stuck over my death.”

“I never really got to grieve for my real parents,” Serenity said.

“But you did your best in trying to know who we were,” a new female voice said. 

Serenity turned to the side and saw two new figures seated on the other log across from them. Her eyes widened when she recognized who they were, leaving her speechless. The man bore dark short hair, was of Asian descent, and had a familiar build like that of Matt’s. The woman had long brown hair, was Caucasian, and reminded her very much of a younger version of Emily. 

“Sunmi-yah,” the man called out with a small smile on his face. 

“Mom? Dad” Serenity asked in awe. “Wait, you’re in purgatory, too?”

The two adults moved from their log and sat beside Serenity.

“No, we’re actually here to see you as a wish granted by Him,” Serenity’s father said. “We’ve moved on into the afterlife and we’ve been watching you, too.”

Serenity began to blush furiously as a thought rushed into her head. “So, you know… about  _ me _ … and Stephanie.”

Her biological parents nodded and grinned at her. There was only love in their eyes. 

“We will always love you, no matter what. We didn’t have that much time to spend with you, but we knew you would be different in a way that we could never imagine back then. You grew up into a person we’re proud of,” her mother said. 

“Really?” Serenity asked as tears welled up in her eyes again. 

“You’ve become a daughter we would never expect in so many ways, but in ways that led you to be such a great person. You’ve met such amazing people, Sunmi-yah, and you’ve become an amazing person, too.”

“Thank you, dad.”


	22. Twenty-Two

Emily knew how bad she looked after her surgery when she ‘died’ during Doyle’s case, but what she saw with Serenity made her heart break multiple times over. She wouldn’t have known it was her daughter if the doctor hadn’t reassured her when they all entered the room. Instinctually, she knew it was Serenity, but visually it could have been anyone in that bed and under that blanket. 

“My god,” she whispered as soon as Parker left them. 

She could only see layers upon layers of dressings and bandages on the girl from her head to the top of the hospital gown. Her head was covered, including the entirety of the left side of her face. Her left hand was bandaged from the burns while her forearm was in a cast. There were more bandages on her upper right arm that stopped at her elbow which exposed multiple scratches and bruises. 

She could only imagine what the rest of Serenity’s body looked like. It wasn’t a pleasant thought to think about. 

“She’s stable, Emily,” Stephanie whispered.

She turned to the teacher and saw her trying to process the image before them. It was unbelievable to see such a strong girl suddenly confined to a bed. 

“We should’ve gotten out all together,” Emily stated as she took the seat beside Serenity’s bed and held the girl’s pale hand in between her own. She looked at the unconscious girl and felt guilt travel through her. She shouldn’t have left them like that. 

“Serena knew what she was doing and what was at stake--”

“Did she need to lay her life on the line like that?” Emily questioned back, turning to the teacher in disbelief. She knew the girl to be selfless, but she didn’t know to what extent. She didn’t know the girl was capable of doing something like  _ this _ . It was almost reckless!

“Serenity… will do that if the circumstances allow it,” Stephanie carefully said out loud. 

“What do you mean by that?” Emily saw the hesitation on Stephanie’s face, but the woman continued on. 

“It was when I was still in university and I came to visit. Serena and I went out for dinner, but when we were leaving, there were  _ ambitious _ guys trying to hit on me. Serena and I told them to back off, but they shoved her off and a fight started. The guys played dirty when she had the upper hand, but she refused to back down until the police arrived. Someone saw the fight and called for help before she took a beating.”

Emily turned to face Serenity and sighed; this girl would do anything to protect her loved ones. She shook her head and felt tears prick her eyes the longer she looked at her daughter. Parents were supposed to protect their children, but what kind of protection did she give? None. She should’ve done more at the warehouse, but she didn’t. 

“She chose her actions and now we need to accept it. We can’t beat ourselves up for not being there on time, or getting her our sooner, because right now we should be glad that she’s alive and stable,” Stephanie stated. “We can yell at her for almost getting killed later.”   
  


Emily half-smiled and pressed her lips to the back of Serenity’s hand. Stephanie was right. There was no sense in living in the past when the present dealt them different cards. Even with the monotonous tone of the monitors, and tubes connected to Serenity, the girl was indeed alive and stable. 

They needed to remain positive and pray for Serenity’s well-being. 

\--- 

“I’m sorry for giving you such a hard time, recently,” Edward said, catching Serenity’s attention. She looked up at her adoptive father and shrugged in response. 

“It could’ve been worse, right?” she asked back. There wasn’t much that could be said or done now that everything had been said and done. She turned to her biological parents and sheepishly smiled at them. “Are you two mad that dad and the rest of the family did what they did?”

“We aren’t particularly happy about what they did, but what mattered the most was them stopping and atoning,” her mother answered. “They raised you in a loving and healthy environment, although Edward did show a bit of favouritism towards you.”

“I knew it!” Serenity exclaimed, pointing at the mentioned man. “You were always more attentive to me than to Leo, Celine and Christel!” 

“It can’t be helped! You were a baby! You needed more attention because you were the youngest… and being a genius certainly added to the equation,” Edward retorted back with his hands in the air. 

Serenity giggled and turned to the fire. “At least we all hashed out any envy between all of us when I grew up.”

“I’m glad you grew up in a family who would do anything for you, Sunmi-yah,” her father said. “Now, you have a new mother who was willing to run into a burning building just to save you.”

Serenity softly smiled and thought about Emily.

Emily was someone she didn’t expect to meet in her life. She didn’t think she would meet an amazing FBI agent who happened to be a unit chief of the BAU. It was almost magical that they met when they did otherwise who would’ve known where she would be at that very moment. Who would she have been living with for the past few months? Emily stood by her no matter what and laid her career on the line to be with her. She did whatever she could to be a parent to her. 

“Emily will do anything for you,” her mother said. “So, don’t be silly and stop constantly putting yourself in harm’s way, okay? Your father and I have passed already, but we might pass again at the rate you get yourself hurt.”

Serenity winced and turned to her mother with an apologetic smile on her face. “Promise! Although, I think we all know I might have PTSD after this.”

“Which will make it even more important for you to not get hurt again,” Edward stated. “Don’t push your family away when things become tough, okay? It’ll only make things worse.”

“Family, huh?” Serenity grinned at the word.

“We all know you’ve been trying to set up Emily with JJ, so please recover and finish what you started. Those two have been dancing around each other so much when they’re with you, it’s almost tiring,” Edward answered. 

“Fine, fine! Can I have a few more minutes here with all of you? I… don’t want to leave, yet.”

\--- 

JJ looked through the glass door of Serenity’s room and couldn’t believe that it was her in the bed. She couldn’t believe that one person could survive so much, but the entire team was a testament that defied that. Reid and Emily seemed to be the ones who were constantly being tested, and now that Serenity was part of the family, it seemed she was being tested as well. It wasn’t fair that a child had to face such trials and tribulations time in and time out. 

Her eyes were focused on Emily whenever they strayed from Serenity’s still form. The unit chief was worry-stricken-- it showed on her face. She, too, was full of worry. Serenity became such a close friend-- maybe something more than that after all that’s happened-- and now she was in a hospital bed mere steps away from looking like a mummy. 

“Someone else can go inside; I don’t want to take up too much time.”

JJ turned to the voice and saw Stephanie had exited the room. She looked at Cat and expected her to go in, but the principal simply raised a brow at her. 

“Go in; Carter and I can wait,” Cat said with a light shrug of her shoulders. 

JJ looked at the rest of the team and saw them each nod for her to take the turn. She reluctantly approached the door, slid it open, walked in, and slid it closed. She licked her lips and walked over to the bed where she took a seat beside Emily.

“Hey,” she whispered. 

“Hey,” Emily whispered back, turning to her with a smile. “I’m surprised Cat didn’t come in first.”

JJ chuckled and tilted her head to the side. “Actually, she’s the one who told me to come in. How are you holding up?”

“I would feel better if she was awake, but I’m okay knowing she’s still with us,” Emily softly answered. 

JJ looked at the girl and stopped herself from wincing at how battered she appeared from what wasn’t covered by the bandages. Her heart sank at the thought of what else could be hidden beneath it all. She could only imagine what Emily was going through and it made her heart hurt a little more. 

“She’s a fighter; she’ll be awake sooner than you know,” she said, placing a hand on Emily’s shoulder, gently squeezing it. 

“I know, but I hope she won’t be in too much pain when she wakes up. It’ll be harder to know she’s in pain and I can’t do anything about it,” Emily explained. 

“That’s the thing about being a parent; we can’t always be there to protect them no matter how hard we try,” JJ replied back, pulling her hand away. She looked at the unit chief and saw the sadness in her eyes after hearing her words. “All we can do is be there for them and let them know that they’re not alone in their struggle.”

“Thank you, JJ.”

JJ nodded, but saw that Emily had more to say. Her brow rose and she quietly waited for the woman to continue speaking. 

“Thank you for finding us.”

JJ bit her lower lip and tried not to flush as she said her next words, “I will always find you two, no matter what.”


	23. Twenty-Three

Serenity never thought she would see her deceased parents again (any one of the three), but here she was doing so in purgatory. It was a strange thing to be in such a plane of existence despite all the arguments about it truly existing. She enjoyed conversing with Edward and especially with her biological parents after all this time. The friendly banter was natural and it was like they never lost time with one another. 

Knowing that her biological parents knew Edward relieved her. Knowing that they knew who the rest of her family was putting her at ease. What she was really grateful for was that all of her parents continued to watch over her even though she managed to get herself into trouble a lot of the time. 

“You know you can’t stay here, Ren,” Edward stated as all conversation died down and silence began to fall over them. 

The teenager could only nod and look down at her lap. She didn’t want to leave, but she knew she had no place in the land of the dead, yet. She still had things to do and parents to match up; the latter being the most important to her. She looked between all three of her parents and blew out a small breath. She had to start saying her goodbyes. 

“I’m glad to see you all again,” she sincerely said. Everyone stood up from the log and she took that opportunity to hug each one of her parents. She wished she had more time with them. 

“It’s time for you to go, sweetie,” her mother said, gently patting her on the back. 

“I’m to have seen you again, mom,” she whispered, squeezing her mother tight. 

“It was great to see you, Sunmi-yah, but don’t let this happen again until it’s actually time, okay?” her father stated in a light, but demanding, tone. 

Serenity could only chuckle and hug him tight as she nodded into his shoulder. “I’ll be careful, dad; I promise.”

When she stood in front of Edward, she couldn’t help but look up at him with a sad smile. She fell into his arms and sighed by his ear. 

“We’ll all meet again, Ren,” Edward reassured, rubbing her back. 

“I don’t want you to be here forever, dad. I’ve done my research on how purgatory works and I don’t want you stuck here.”

“Well, honey, there  _ is _ another reason why we’re here,” her mother said, gaining her attention. “We’re taking Edward with us into a much brighter place than this.”

“Would you look at that, Ren; I’m going to better pastures after all,” Edward jested, earning himself a slap on the shoulder. He chuckled and held her tighter in his arms. “I’ll be okay, Serenity.”

Serenity nodded and hugged her adoptive father as tight as she could after hearing the good news. She took a deep breath before she let go and smiled at him. 

“It’s time for me to really go, huh?” she solemnly asked, noticing that the campfire was dying down. She saw all three of her parents nodding and smiling at her with watery eyes. “Group hug!” she exclaimed as she closed her eyes and fell into their arms. Their warmth seeped through her body and she could feel that she was leaving that plane of existence.

“I love you all!” she cried out.

\--- 

“Who would’ve thought we’d be here again?” Emily asked as she stared at her coffee cup. She and JJ were in the cafeteria of the hospital after the younger agent suggested they get something to eat while the rest of the group visited Serenity. It was an open question that earned her a quiet hum of acknowledgement. She looked at JJ and saw her deep in thought. “What are you thinking about?”

“What you said, really,” JJ started. “It hasn’t been that long since you’ve been brought back and now we’re back here. We met Serena for a case, you took her in, and now we’re here in such a short amount of time.”

Emily nodded. “You’ve grown a soft spot for her, haven’t you?”   
  


There was a momentary pause that caught her attention. 

“I… can’t help but think of her as a daughter to me after all this time she’s been with me and the boys,” JJ truthfully answered.

The unit chief could feel her heart swell at the words, but she pressed those feelings down to avoid them from cascading into something else, entirely.

“She joined the family in the most unconventional way, but she really did become  _ part of the family _ ,” she said with a soft smile on her face. “The team has taken to her so easily and I can’t imagine what it would be like to not have Serena with us.”

“Luckily, she’s still with us,” JJ stated with a smile. 

“She came into our lives so fast, but she’s made a lasting impression.”

\--- 

JJ returned to Serenity’s room first and found Stephanie alone inside. She saw the woman’s face stricken with tears and realized she had been holding back her emotions all this time. Quietly, she took the seat beside the teacher and placed a hand on the woman’s back. 

“I’ve known her since she was a child and I don’t know if I could ever live with myself without telling her how I feel about her,” Stephanie whispered out while holding Serenity’s right hand. 

“You love her,” JJ softly said, watching as Stephanie turned to her and nodded. “When did you know?”

Stephanie half-heartedly chuckled and wiped her face with one of her hands. “I knew she was the one recently, but I’ve always cared and loved her. It’s just…”

“You never knew you were in love with her,” JJ finished off, earning her another nod. “All I can say is be careful with her-- she’s lost enough.”

“Shouldn’t Emily be giving me this talk?” Stephanie asked with a small smile on her face. 

JJ simply shrugged her shoulders. “I think of Serena as my daughter after all she’s done for me and my boys. Chances are Emily will give you the long _ er _ version of this talk, anyway.”

Stephanie turned back to the girl and sighed. “You’re not miffed by our age difference?”

“You and I both know Serenity is older than she appears, but really I’m concerned about her happiness than an age difference. Emily will likely say the same.”

“So, does that mean you and Emily are getting together soon?” Stephanie coolly asked. 

“What?”

“Everyone can see it, JJ. Are you going to tell Emily how you feel about her, or are you two going to deflect and pretend nothing exists between you forever?” Stephanie questioned back, turning to the agent. 

JJ immediately flushed, but kept her composure as best as possible. “It isn’t a priority right now, not when Serena is in bed like this.”

“I know, but when the time comes, will you be able to summon up the courage to do what you need to do?”

JJ didn’t know if she could with the way things were going. Who knew when that time would come?


	24. Twenty-Four

The first thing Serenity noticed when she gained consciousness was the immense pain she was in. Her entire body seized up and she began to gasp for air as everything barreled right into her. All the stinging, throbbing and aching pain shot in every which way possible through her body from head to toe. She couldn’t figure out what to focus on when everything  _ hurt _ . 

“Serena?” 

She barely registered the voice at her side. Slowly, she turned her head and saw Stephanie looking at her in great concern. She opened her mouth and, somehow, she managed to speak. “ _ Pain _ .”

“E-Emily! Wake up!” Stephanie called out, much to the teenager’s dismay. It was too loud for her ears and her head. Emily roused from her sleep and turned to Stephanie with tired eyes. “She’s awake, I’m getting help!”

Serenity only felt a breeze when the teacher ran around her bed for the door. She closed her eyes and kept gasping for air. She tried her best to tolerate the pain, but it was near excruciating. Every inch of her being felt like it was on fire. 

“Serena-- hey, hey, look at me,” Emily softly called out. 

The teenager could only let out a squeak. When she heard the door to her room open and multiple footsteps enter, she opened her eyes and turned her head to look at the doctor in despair. She tried to list her left arm and reach for the man, but her entire body seized again and she cried out in pain. 

“Serenity, please bear with this for now. I’ll try to make this as tolerable for you as possible, but you need to hold on,” Parker said as he went over to a drawer and began searching for a particular syringe.

Serenity squeaked out again and panted for air, only to realize Emily was holding her hand. She squeezed the woman’s hand tight and tried to cope. 

“Doc, she’s in so much pain,” Emily stated, feeling the intense grip on her hand. 

“I’m doing my best, agent,” Parker replied back as he injected a sedative into Serenity’s drip. 

Serenity heard his words and was ready to throttle him because his best was not enough. For a fleeting moment, she thought of getting out of bed and punching the man for being rather useless in her current state, but it passed when another flash of pain shot through her. 

“Serena, I know you’re in a lot of pain, but you need to  _ breathe _ .” Stephanie stood at the foot of the bed and tried to control the situation. “You studied a lot of meditation, so now is the time to put it to good use.”

Serenity took several short breaths and tried to process what the woman said. She looked at her with a glazed eye and began crying. 

“Emily, keep holding her hand; give her something concrete to focus on,” Stephanie instructed. 

Serenity took a few more breaths and felt the hold on her hand tighten enough to become something she could shift her focus on. She looked at Emily and saw the woman softly smiling at her. 

“I’m right here, Serena. Breathe for me, sweetie,” Emily gently said. Serenity held her hand and continued to attempt to regulate her breathing. “That’s it, take it easy.”

Tears continued to run down the side of the girl’s head. She saw Stephanie return to the seat beside Emily, smiling in relief. “That’s it, Serena; in and out. Focus on us. It’s okay, you’re going to be okay.”

Her vision started to blur, but she knew she was going to be okay.

\--- 

A few hours passed until Serenity was awake again and able to tolerate the pain she was in without crushing Emily or Stephanie’s hand for support. By the time she was lucid again, JJ asked to switch with the two inside for Leo was about to return to prison. Reid and Rossi stood outside the door while JJ entered the room with Leo, whose wrists were bound in handcuffs, to say his goodbyes to his sister. JJ had to swallow hard and try not to cry when Leo walked around to sit beside Serenity’s bed, sobbing at the sight of his sister. 

“You’re such a  _ sight _ , you dumbass,” Leo softly said while carefully taking Serenity’s hand into his own. 

“I’m glad you’re okay,  _ dumbass _ ,” Serenity whispered back, only to whimper in pain. She frowned when her gaze lowered to his handcuffs. “Are you leaving already?”

Leo apologetically smiled and nodded in response. “I have to; I got the all clear here and I’ll be further observed by the doctors at prison.”

When JJ moved to stand beside Leo, she witnessed a sight she never saw before. 

“ _ No _ ,” Serenity whined out, sounding like a young child. 

“You know I have to.” Leo leaned down and kissed the girl’s cheek. “I’ll be okay and I’ll do my best to not get abducted again, so do me a favour and don’t get kidnapped, either.” He let out a strained chuckle and shook his head. “You and I both know Steph wouldn’t be happy about it.”

Serenity nodded and whispered, “Love you.”

“You, too, kiddo.” Leo winked and pulled his hands away from Serenity’s. “Get better! I don’t want to see you visiting me while you’re on the verge of becoming a mummy with all these bandages, okay?”

“Okay,” Serenity agreed. “Be safe.”

JJ watched as the man nodded and stood up. He headed to the door where Reid and Rossi waited for him while JJ sat down in his place. She took Serenity’s hand in one of her own and smiled. 

“Your brother will be okay, Serena,” she reassured, gaining the girl’s attention. She ran her thumb across the back of Serenity’s hand and cleared her throat. “Thank you for protecting my children.” She saw the girl smile only to grimace from what was most likely the pain she felt. 

“I know you would do the same with me for Emily, but I’d end up fighting with you two and getting kidnapped, anyway,” Serenity replied back, chuckling at the end which trailed off into a whine of pain. 

“I hope this is the end of all of these copycats-- I don’t think Emily, Stephanie,  _ or I _ can handle seeing you get caught up in a mess like this again.”

Serenity squeezed her hand and perked up ever so slightly. “Did I at least get Katherine? I wasn’t sure if my aim was okay.”

JJ rolled her eyes at the girl’s question, but nodded, nonetheless. “You managed to get her in the leg and the police caught her before she could even try limping away.”

“Good beans; I was aiming for her leg,” Serenity responded back with glee. She quickly cleared her throat and perked again. “Do you know if Rick and his brother made it out?”

JJ furrowed her brow at the question. When the girl looked at her for an answer, she could only shrug. “I’m not sure about all of the details of who survived the blast and was arrested. My priority was taking Emily, Stephanie, Cat and Carter here after the ambulance took you away.”

“Oh.” That wasn’t the sound of a pleased person. 

“ _ Oh? _ ” 

“Sorry, I just needed to know if the man who helped save us (even if he did help kidnap us) is alive and able to take Katherine down with us. I just want to be sure that  _ this _ is all over,” Serenity explained. 

“I’ll ask the rest of the team for details, but  _ please _ don’t focus on it right now. We’ll figure out how to deal with Katherine, but you need to get better, okay?” JJ closed her eyes and lifted Serenity’s hand to her lips. “Please don’t  _ ever _ do this again, okay? I know you can’t help getting caught in messes,but don’t stay behind if you know you can get out.”

That had the girl falling silent. 

“I’m sorry,” Serenity whispered. “Please don’t cry.”

JJ wiped away the tears that rolled down her face and nodded. “Avoid trouble, okay? Getting into gunfights is not part of your job description.”

“She’s right, it isn’t in your job description.”

The two turned to the voice and found Stephanie entering the room with a tired smile on her face. JJ smiled as the woman stood beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Thank you… for being here with me,” Serenity said. 

JJ shook her head and gently squeezed the hand in her own. “We love you; we’ll always be here for you.”

\--- 

It didn’t take long for Emily and Stephanie to return to Serenity’s room as the main visitors. The two were keeping an eye on the girl like hawks in case any change occurred. Emily knew they were being possessive and downright territorial about Serenity, but no one had the energy to question them. 

Emily watched as a tray of hospital was placed on the rolling table in front of the semi-upright girl. She noticed Serenity merely stare at it as if it was some kind of unknown object. Confusion fell upon her when Serenity picked up her spoon and dropped it into the soup, then began poking at the tray the bowl was in. She was more than surprised when Stephanie snatched the tray away. 

“Pudding!” the girl cried out, helplessly. That was a different sight. She grinned when the pudding was returned to the table. 

“And now… she’s high,” Stephanie commented as she placed the hospital tray onto the side table and away from the girl. 

Emily could only watch as the teacher took the bowl of soup in hand and began to carefully stir the contents. 

“You’re not going to remember any of this,” Stephanie said aloud, but it was clear it was mostly to herself. She held a spoonful of soup to Serenity’s mouth and the girl took it in without a word. 

“Has this happened before, Steph?” Emily asked. 

Stephanie clicked her tongue and lifted another spoonful of soup to the girl. 

“When she broke her other arm back then, it was so bad she needed morphine for the pain. Like then, she’s high as a kite,” the teacher explained, carefully feeding the girl. “With the extent of her injuries, she’ll be high for a while.”

Serenity started to avoid the spoon. 

“And… it begins,” Stephanie muttered. 

Emily watched as Serenity began to act like a young child. She was sure a temper tantrum was about to occur. 

“Pudding!” Serenity called out, lifting the cup in her right hand and presenting it to Stephanie. She frowned when the woman placed it back at the corner of the table, away from her. “ _ Pudding _ !”

“After you finish your soup,” Stephanie firmly stated. 

Emily realized this must’ve been enough of an occurrence if the teacher appeared nonplussed by it. She also realized she had more to learn about Serenity than she initially thought.  _ This _ child-like personality was a far departure from the mature teenager who fought like hell out of a warehouse. 

It was a little jarring. 

\--- 

“Hey, do you want to go home and get freshened up?”

Emily looked up from her nth cup of coffee to find JJ expectantly looking at her. She lowered her gaze and looked around the younger agent to find Serenity asleep again with Stephanie by her bed, also asleep. Regular visiting hours were almost over the day and no one had left, except for Cat and Carter. 

“It would be best if I get some air and stop hovering, right?” she asked as she stood up and tossed her empty cup into the trash can. 

“Yes,” JJ shortly answered. “She’s asleep and Stephanie is with her, so if anything happens, you’ll be the first to know. Do you mind if I used your shower?” 

“No, feel free to use it,” Emily answered as she was being led away to the parkade where the SUV was. She fell silent and glanced at the other woman, only to stop short of speaking. 

“What’s wrong?”

“Have you… visited Serena while she was still awake earlier? Maybe an hour or two ago?”

“Yes, why?” There was confusion on the blonde’s face. 

Emily bit her lower lip and sighed. “She’s high.”

JJ nodded and stopped at elevators, pressing one of the buttons. “You’re worried she might fall into some addiction throughout her recovery, aren’t you?”

“Straight to the point, but yes, I’m worried about that.” Emily paused. “She acted like a child and I’ve never seen that before.”

“There are a lot of things  _ we _ haven’t seen before, so we have to be prepared for anything. You’re not quitting on her, are you?”

“ _ Absolutely not _ !” Emily exclaimed, surprising the people who were leaving the elevator they were standing in front of. She briefly apologized before entering the elevator with JJ. “I’m her  _ mother _ , I would  _ never _ quit on her. It was… eye-opening to see how much I have yet to know about her.”

JJ nodded and pressed the button for their floor. She looked at Emily and tilted her head to the side. “We’ve only seen a fraction of her life-- a very  _ small _ fraction of it. She’ll never cease to surprise us, you know? Our children will always have something worth learning about.”

“She’s still growing and finding her way through life,” Emily said with a chuckle. “Agent Jareau, it sounds like you’ll be staying by her side for a long time.”

JJ laughed and nudged shoulders with her. “She called me  _ mom _ and is like a sister to my sons; she’s already part of my family, so I’m going nowhere.”

Emily spared a sidelong glance at the woman and smiled. 

  
_ I hope so _ .


	25. Twenty-Five

Cat had never been one to show her emotions. She was hellbent on never showing her vulnerable side; she always considered it unnecessary unless she was with her son. Being soft and kind was difficult without lining it with sarcasm or some kind of bandhanded statement because it always left her feeling raw and open. It didn’t always feel right, but Serenity had her changing her tune. She could  _ be _ vulnerable without feeling like a fool or feel like she was being taken advantage of. It was easy to be the usual crude woman  _ and _ be a regular person with Serenity. 

Unfortunately, witnessing Serenity be so high and so damaged in that be made her heart hurt so much. Guilt ran through her because it felt like she took advantage of the girl’s kindness and patience without ever repaying her back. Having seen such a strong and powerful girl become so  _ small  _ and  _ human _ was jarring. Serenity was practically invincible-- a  _ goddess _ \-- but that girl covered in bandages and high on morphine was far from that. What was she supposed to do? She couldn’t protect Serenity from her mother, so what good could she do as a… friend?

Serenity began motioning for her to enter the room. Cat noticed that no one else was inside and it left her reluctantly entering. She closed the door behind her, acknowledged the girl in the bed, and moved to sit in the chair closest to her. 

“Cat, you’ve been avoiding me.”

“You’ve been high most for most of yesterday,” the principal easily replied back. “You’ve also seen me with Carter, so I haven’t been  _ avoiding  _ you.”

Serenity hummed in response and shifted in the bed. “I’m very much lucid right now, but I’m occasionally loopy here and there.” She cleared her throat and weakly waved her hand in the air. “You’ve never visited me by yourself and we both know that says a lot about you. No, can you open this damned container for me? Stephanie naturally used something I couldn’t open with one hand and a fraction of my strength.”

Cat raised her brow at the words, but aided the girl in opening the plastic container full of fruit. She watched as the teenager played with her fork in a way of deciding how to hold it and eat at the same time. Her eyes narrowed at the sight. 

“What do you mean, ‘that says a lot about me’?” she questioned back. “Do you need help?”

Serenity sheepishly nodded. “Trying to figure out how to keep my arm from hurting isn’t working.” 

Cat took the fork and began gathering fruit on it. 

“What I mean is that you won’t let yourself  _ feel _ and  _ acknowledge _ what happened to me.”

The principal only scoffed as she fed the girl. “I’ve definitely acknowledged that you were kidnapped and almost killed by my mother. I have no  _ need _ to feel my feeling when it comes to all of that.”

“Hmph.” Serenity chewed and swallowed the food as the fork left her mouth. “I don’t think compartmentalizing all of this is good, Cat. You’re allowed to be human and feel your emotions-- you know you can do that around me apart from your therapist.”

The principal pressed her lips together and fell silent. Serenity made her point and it wasn’t wrong at all. Cat knew compartmentalizing this situation wouldn’t do her good; it would lead to nightmares and bouts of paranoia. She also knew she would be irritable and much harsher if she didn’t allow herself to take stock of what happened. 

She continued to feed the girl until there was nothing left in the container. She closed it up and opened the water bottle on the table, giving it to Serenity. With a small sigh, she knew that there was no use in putting up a wall with the girl. 

“You look  _ terrible _ , Serena,” she softly said. She heard rather than saw the girl almost spit out her drink in surprise. 

“Well, I’m okay, now, Cat. I’ve been told you were all jumpy after what happened, but for the most part I’m in the clear now. I heard I’ll be transferred out of the ICU in a couple of days, so that’s a plus, right?”

“Be more than okay, Serena; you need to be well. I need to know you’re well otherwise I won’t be able to sleep knowing what my mother did to you,” Cat replied back. She took Serenity’s hand and deeply sighed. “I need to know you’ll be able to get out of this bed and live your life again.”

She looked at Serenity with pleading eyes. She rarely ever did that with anyone, but she hoped it conveyed how she truly felt. Her feelings for the girl were deep; she felt like a mother to her and with that came the maternal feelings she already had with her son. She wanted to protect and help Serenity in any way she could, but she also knew it wasn’t possible in the girl’s current state. Serenity had an entire FBI team looking after her, an FBI agent as a foster mother, and a teacher/attorney who most likely had feelings for her. 

She would have to talk to Stephanie about that. 

Both as a principal and mother-figure to Serenity. 

“I’ll be out of this bed and living my life soon enough,” Serenity said with what sounded like a promising tone in her voice. 

Cat smiled and nodded. 

“So… how are you and Kara doing?”

Cat froze. 

“I thought we were talking about my feelings, Song,” she stated in a deadpan tone. She watched as Serenity chuckled and grinned at her. 

“Baby steps with you, Cat,” Serenity said. “Are you two doing well?”

Cat rolled her eyes and smiled anyway. “Before all of this happened, she invited me to meet her family-- rather, me and Carter. I met her adoptive mother and biological mother; it was actually a great time.”

“So, everyone knows you two are together?”

  
Cat tilted her head and chuckled. “Yes, it was refreshing. We’re not keeping secrets from our loved ones, anymore.” She saw Serenity softly smiling at her, which warmed her heart. 

“I’m glad to hear that, Cat. I wish you two the best.”

\--- 

All Serenity had done for the past couple of days was lay in her bed and stare at the ceiling whenever there were no visitors. She would have considered it boring, but with the amount of people visiting her, any alone time was highly appreciated. 

So, when she heard the door open and close, she made no move to see who entered. She was growing tired of how her door was a revolving one with everyone coming in and out. When the person rounded her bed and sat in the chair beside her, she tried to smile, but she could feel it come off as a grimace. 

“You don’t look all that happy to see me,” JJ quietly joked out as she moved her chair closer to the bed. 

Serenity could only huff and shift in her bed. There were too many words ready to come out of her mouth and most of them were inappropriate. Holding her tongue was better than unleashing her annoyance at an unsuspecting victim. 

“You’re growing restless,” JJ commented, noting the girl’s movements. 

“I’m not a fan of staying in one place for too long.” Serenity sighed and turned her attention back to the ceiling. She licked her lips and tried to choose her next words carefully. “Honestly… with everyone visiting me all day, every single day, asking the same questions over and over about my well-being is getting tiring. It hasn’t been that long, but I’m more than ready to lock my door. I get that the team wants to get my statement for the case, but  _ every single one of them _ asked me to go through what happened from the kidnapping all the way to blacking out from getting shot by Katherine. I just want to  _ rest _ without everyone hovering and investigating my health.”

The verbal vomit was unintentional, but she was tired in every sense of the word. She needed rest so her mind and body could recover, but it was near to impossible if everyone kept coming to visit her at all times. 

“Do you want me to leave?”

“ _ No _ ,” Serenity said loudly. “You’re…  _ mom _ … and part of the handful of people I  _ like _ having multiple visits from. It also helps that you and said handful of people know when to visit me without it being back to back with someone else.”

JJ chuckled and leaned her elbow on the bed, propping her chin in her hand. “I’m going to guess the others are Cat, Carter, Stephanie and Emily.”

“You would be right,” Serenity responded back. She turned to the agent and managed to wear a sincere smile on her face. “Sorry for the word vomit.”

“No need to apologize; I would do the same if I was in your situation.” JJ reached out and took the girl’s hand. “I’m not going to ask how you’re doing because I can see you’re perfectly fine. What I will ask is if your moments of lucidity are much longer now.”

“I think the worst of the high has passed now. Why? Was I acting too strangely?” Serenity asked, genuinely concerned about her actions. 

JJ’s face scrunched up a little and she nodded. “You may have made a passing comment to another doctor right in front of Stephanie.”

That had Serenity making a face. 

“How bad?”

“Oh… ‘ _ You’re the prettiest doctor I’ve ever seen; will you marry me? _ ’ is a little bad,” JJ answered, watching as the girl’s face contort into horror. 

“Oh, my god; how has Stephanie not killed me, yet?” 

JJ let out a laugh at the question and merely shrugged. “Should we change the subject?”

“Yes,  _ please _ ,” Serenity stated, eagerly. “How are you and Emily?”

“What do you mean?”

“As Emily’s daughter, I noticed that you two have been  _ close _ lately. I figured there was something to talk about.”

JJ raised a brow and squeezed Serenity’s hand. “There isn’t anything to talk about; we’re friends.”

The girl looked at her as if she grew a second head; disbelief was all over her face. “I may have one eye for use right now, but I’m not blind nor have I  _ been _ blind to what’s happening around me and my mom. You two are close, but  _ closer _ than friends.”

“No, we’re not,” JJ protested. 

“Don’t play games,  _ Jennifer _ ,” Serenity evenly said, earning a loud huff from the agent. She wasn’t in the mood. 

“Fine, maybe we should talk, but there’s nothing to talk about  _ now _ . Our priority is you, not whatever I feel.”

“ _ Nonsense _ !” Serenity retorted back. “You two can talk about your feelings at any time! I’m stuck in a hospital bed, ready to move out of the ICU, so move along, please.” She saw the worry on JJ’s face and sighed. “What is it?”

‘It wouldn’t be fair to Emily. It wouldn’t be fair to her to just blurt out that I have feelings for her while she’s taking care of you.”

“Frankly, there are a lot of people taking care of me beside her,” Serenity said back. She tugged on JJ’s hand and cleared her throat. “I would hope you wouldn’t blurt out your feelings out of nowhere, Jennifer. Have a little faith in yourself and how things are going between you two.”

“There is no  _ us _ \-- why are you so adamant about  _ us _ , anyway?”

“Garcia and I-- probably the whole team-- can spot the pining and unrequited feelings from miles away! So, can you put us all out of our misery and do something?”

“How about you recover first and put  _ us _ at ease knowing you’re fully stable?” JJ questioned back, which had the girl grumbling in response. 

“ _ Fine _ , but you and Emily have to at least go on  _ one _ coffee date while I’m here because the suspense is killing me.”

“You’re being stubborn.”

“I’m  _ cranky _ .”

\--- 

“I heard you were cranky.”

“JJ obviously talked to you.”

“It’s  _ obvious _ you’re cranky,” Emily retorted back with a chuckle as she entered the room. She walked over to her usual seat by the bed, and placed a bag of food on the table. She carefully adjusted the girl’s bed so she could eat her dinner. 

“Sorry,” Serenity sincerely apologized, reaching out to roll down the bag full of food containers. 

“JJ mentioned that you were cranky earlier because of all the visitors you’ve been having,” Emily explained while unpacking the food and laying it out. “As your mother, I’ve talked to everyone and told them to ease up on their visits, with the exception of Stephanie and Cat.”

“Thank you,” Serenity whispered. “I know they mean well…”

Emily smiled and shook her head. “You need time to rest, too. It’s okay to ask for space, sweetie.”

Serenity picked up a spoon and looked at the ramen in front of her. “You’ll be around, right?”

The unit chief paused and looked at the girl. Serenity suddenly looked small in her bed. “I’m your  _ mother _ ; I’m not going anywhere unless you tell me to. Even then, I’ll resist and leave only when it’s absolutely necessary.”

Serenity nodded and began to eat. 

“I want you to take it easy, though. I need you well enough if you want to know the details about the case with Katherine. I can’t have you emotionally invested in it if your body isn’t up to it.”

Another nod. 

“Did Rick and his brother at least get out?”

“They magically did in the mess of everything. We’re currently processing their confessions and all of Rick’s records with Katherine to really pin her down. With Cat’s statement and the rest of the men possibly taking a plea bargain to save their own asses, Katherine is good as gone.” 

“Good,” Serenity said. She carefully continued eating and pondered what to say next.

“What’s on your mind?” Emily asked, noticing the girl’s pause and look of contemplation on her face.

“Would you believe me if I said I met my biological parents and Edward in purgatory while I was unconscious?” Serenity carefully asked as she put down her spoon to pay her full attention to the other woman.

“I wouldn’t argue with you and state facts for or against the planes of the different stages of afterlife,” Emily answered. She leaned back in her chair and smiled. “I would believe you since you’re quite a different person and are able to experience different things from us.”

Serenity chuckled and looked down at her lap, embarrassed. “They’re proud of me.”

“I’m not surprised they are—you’ve done amazing things, Serena,” Emily assured. She heard some sniffles and saw the girl look up at her with watery eyes. It must have been an eye-opening experience.

“My biological parents  _ love _ you.”

That was unexpected. 

It pulled at Emily’s heartstrings and she leaned forward onto the bed. It was one thing to be accepted by Serenity’s adoptive family, but to be accepted by her biological (albeit deceased) parents… it was heartwarming.

“You spent some time talking with all of them, didn’t you?” she asked.

“We had a good conversation before I had to leave and wake up. They told me it wasn’t my place to be there, yet. I was glad to see Edward go with my parents to the afterlife and not be stuck in purgatory.”

Emily nodded. “I’m glad he found his way to a better place.”

Serenity grinned and wiped away the few stray tears that rolled down her cheeks. “They did say one thing to me that amused me. They know that you and JJ have been dancing around each other for too long and it’s time that something happened.”

Emily scoffed. “Are you making things up now?”

“ _ No _ , I’m serious! Edward said it and my parents didn’t disagree. It’s a sign that you and JJ need to get your shit together and  _ be _ together.”

The unit chief rolled her eyes. “Language,” she said, noticing the girl close her mouth. “My feelings don’t matter right now, not when you’re in bed like this.”

“I appreciate you being motherly at this time, but I also have Stephanie and Cat by my side, too. I’ll be fine, but will you be fine every time you leave here by yourself?”

“I’m not by myself, I have JJ—”

“ _ See! _ ” Serenity pointed at Emily, but quickly regretted the action as pain shot up her entire arm. “ _ Ow _ ! Karma struck fast. Honestly, you and JJ need to talk it out because you two are stopping yourselves from having something great.”

“And if she rejects me?” Emily asked. She wasn’t going to unveil her feelings only to be rejected and have a very complicated workplace relationship with JJ.

“And if she doesn’t?” Serenity questioned back. “I know you want to take care of me first, but you should also take care of yourself, too. If it means having JJ by your side to help you cope while you’re away from here, then solidify what you two have.”

_ I will always find you two, no matter what _ .

Emily pressed her lips together when she recalled what JJ said to her. Maybe it was worth trying to say something after all.

“You’ll have my back if things don’t go well?” she asked.

“What kind of daughter would I be if I didn’t?”


	26. Twenty-Six

Time seemed to move fast for Emily as she kept an eye on Serenity. It was only a few days ago when the girl was transferred out of the ICU and given the all clear by the doctors to recuperate in the general hospital. She was pleased to hear that news in such a short amount of time, and so was the patient at hand. 

There were less people visiting this time around, which allowed the girl to properly rest. Emily figured the hospital preferred it that way, especially when the entourage of visitors were FBI agents going through the ward. She could tell they wanted to say something about Serenity, but they left it in quiet murmurs when they were mostly gone. 

“Did I ever tell you the nurses and housekeepers have been assuming Matt is my father or uncle?” 

Emily stopped reading her book aloud at the turn of the page and looked up at the girl. She dog-eared the page and put it down, giving Serenity her full attention. 

“Well, you look more related to him than anyone else on the team,” she answered back. 

Serenity giggled and looked at her. “How could you say that? Half of my face is covered with bandages and my good eye is bruised; I look like a mummified plum than a person.”

The unit chief accepted the humour and looked at the girl’s face. She did have a point; there wasn’t much of a tell to Serenity’s face about her origins except perhaps the shape of her eye. Even then, it was a little too puffed up to tell if she was Asian or not. 

“I’m pretty sure they gathered from your last name that you’re possibly related to him,” she replied. 

There was a contemplative look on Serenity’s face before it disappeared into a smile. 

“I wonder what Matt would be like for a dad,” the girl thought aloud. 

“And, pray tell, would you be wondering about that?” Emily questioned with a brow raised. 

“Oh, I am  _ not _ answering that question,” Serenity answered. “I’m not drugged up enough to throw myself into the lion’s den.”

“You brought it up.”

“And now I’m taking it back,” Serenity said with a nod. “He has his own kids to worry about, anyway. You’re my cool parent.”

Emily scoffed at the deflection and shook her head. “What does that make JJ?”

Serenity thoughtfully hummed as she contemplated the question. “She would be the rule abiding parent. She looks rule abiding, doesn’t she?”

That had Emily breaking out into laughter. She could only imagine what JJ would think being called the ‘strict’ parent. She could definitely imagine the pout on the woman’s face at this decision. 

“Do you think JJ would agree?” Serenity paused and a look of horror crossed her face. “Oh, my god, did I just say everything out loud?”

“You definitely did, Serena; you’re drugged enough to lose your filter.”

Serenity’s eye widened. “Don’t tell JJ I said  _ any _ of that!”

“Don’t tell JJ you said any of what?” JJ asked as she entered the room, carrying a box in her arms. 

Emily looked over at JJ before returning her gaze to Serenity who started to shift uncomfortably in her bed. She grinned when she saw the expectant look on the blonde’s face. 

“She thinks you’re the strict parent between the two of us,” she answered, hearing a squeak from the girl. 

“ _ I’m _ the strict one? I consider myself the relaxed one, thank you very much,” JJ replied as she placed the box on the rolling table, careful of the book on it.

“Who’s that from?” Serenity asked, immediately changing the subject. 

“It’s from Cat; it’s a care package based on the card that was on it,” JJ said, pulling out the card from her back pocket. 

“I like care packages… I think? I’ve never gotten one before,” Serenity commented as she watched the two women open the box and go through it. 

Emily raised a brow when she found expensive gadgets and healthy snacks in the tightly packed box. She pulled out the iPad that was inside and saw there was a note attached to it. She placed it on Serenity’s lap and whistled. 

“From Carter: I hope the games and books are enough to keep you occupied. Mom said not to eat everything at once, but I think that’s okay since she has another box ready to send.”

“Sounds like something Cat Grant would do,” Serenity said, turning on the tablet to see what was on it. 

“She clearly didn’t spare any expense with these,” JJ said, holding up a couple of bagged snacks to read the labels. “You’ll be fine for the next while with these.”

“That’s great!”

\--- 

JJ stood off to the side, quietly watching as Emily tucked the teenager in bed. Tonight, they would return back to Emily’s apartment to rest after having stayed over the previous nights before. They rotated on who would stay on the cot in her room, but tonight the girl explicitly instructed them to actually leave and rest. It was met with some opposition, but they begrudgingly agreed knowing full well they would be back the next morning. 

With quiet goodbyes, the two left the dimly lit room and closed the door behind them. They made their way through the hospital for their SUV in comfortable silence. It was a full day of activity with the occasional rotation of visitors as Stephanie came in for her daily visit, while Reid and Garcia dropped by to have a chat.

“She’s getting better by the day,” JJ commented as they drove out of the hospital parkade onto the streets. 

“She’s not high, which is a good thing,” Emily replied back, looking out the window. “At least, she’ll be home sooner than later if she stays in good spirits.”

JJ spared a glance at the older woman and smiled. 

Emily was a mother now.

“You know, at some point you’ll have to go home.”

JJ looked away and continued driving. She knew that was true; she hadn’t been spending much time at home ever since the attack. She had asked Will to take the boys since the kidnapping, but she knew they were wondering where she was. 

“Getting tired of having me in your apartment, Prentiss?” she joked out, instead. 

“ _ No _ , but I’m sure your boys miss you.”

“Touché.” JJ turned a corner and stopped at a light. “I was going to see them tomorrow while you stayed with Serena.”

“You need to get more clothes; your go-bag was getting light this morning.”

“Going through my stuff, are you?” 

Emily’s chuckle filled the air. “I was moving it and I almost tripped on myself with how light it was.”

“Maybe I should just have a drawer so you don’t hurt yourself,” JJ suggested, never once looking at the other woman. She could feel heat creeping up along her neck and knew if it was brighter out her blush would be visible. 

“If you want to borrow one, all you have to do is ask, JJ,” Emily easily replied back. 

The blonde accidentally accelerated the car too hard when the light turned. She didn’t bother looking over at the other woman to know she was smiling. 

Maybe this was their way of flirting. 

It was strange, to say the least. 

“I’ll clear up a drawer for you and you can move your things in it. Sound good?”

JJ smiled and nodded. “As long as you don’t mind.”

“You’re part of the family, now, JJ; of course, I wouldn’t.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was on a spree, then work came along. Whoops.


	27. Twenty-Seven

“God, you look horrible,” Serenity instantly said as soon as she caught sight of the woman entering her room. 

Stephanie almost gave the girl a dirty look when she walked in with a duffel bag over her shoulder. When she walked around the bed, she unintentionally gave the girl a closer look of just how haggard she really was. Out of everyone visiting, she was probably the most tired. Even Emily looked better than she did and the agent was Serenity’s foster mother. 

“Have you slept, yet? You’re developing raccoon eyes,” the girl questioned. 

The teacher shook her head and covered her face with her hands. She took a deep breath and rubbed her eyes, only to cover up a yawn as she turned back to Serenity. 

“How are you?” she asked. The question earned her a bewildered look from the girl. 

“ _ I’m _ okay, but are  _ you _ ? You look like you’re on the verge of becoming a zombie,” Serenity answered as she waved at the woman’s direction. 

Stephanie only huffed and nodded, but she saw Serenity give her a knowing look. She tried to maintain her steadfastness, but it crumbled quickly when it was obvious the girl knew better. She looked away with a sigh because there was no escape. 

“Maybe, I’m  _ not _ okay,” she said as she dropped her arms onto the bed. 

“You’re doing it again, aren’t you?” Serenity said, accusingly. “You’re making sure I’m okay by visiting me all the time, but you’ve been neglecting yourself.”

Stephanie heard the disbelief and disappointment in the girl’s voice. It was shocking to know that Serenity could even be disappointed when others would revel in the attention. Her skin pricked at the sound of Serenity’s voice and it bothered her that she was so affected. Sometimes, she forgot just how much she  _ felt _ for Serenity. 

She saw a frown on the girl’s face.

“You matter  _ more _ , Serena,” she stated, trying to get rid of the frown. 

It deepened, instead. 

“Don’t start giving me that bullshit, Steph,” Serenity retorted back, surprising the teacher. “Just because I’m incapacitated doesn’t mean you’re allowed to neglect yourself.”

“I won’t let that happen! I won’t let you be here alone.”

“Why not? I have enough people looking after me on a daily basis. So, take care of yourself, Stephanie, because you know damn well I can’t if you get sick.”

“I don’t care--”

“You  _ will _ care when you get sick and can’t visit me anymore. Go home-- ask Emily if you can stay at her place for the time being-- and get some rest.”

Stephanie stubbornly shook her head and stayed in her seat. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Stephanie, don’t fight me on this. You know better than to risk your health.”

Another shake of the head. “I’m not leaving! What if something happens?”

“What if you stopped worrying yourself sick?” Serenity questioned back. “Why are you still worrying? I’m no longer in the ICU. Dr. Evans hasn’t said anything that could spell trouble, so what is it?”

“Can you blame me if I  _ worry _ about you, Serena? I grew up with you and then you expect me to leave after  _ this _ happens? Do you think I’m going to be okay knowing you’re in the clear? I need to see you out of this bed and walking. It’s still possible for you to get worse, like-- like--”

“ _ I’m stopping you right there _ . We are  _ not _ referencing Grey’s Anatomy, okay? I doubt I’m going to die like Mark Sloan, otherwise we’d know by now. I know you’re freaking out on the inside, but it won’t help either of us through this. We both need our rest, so please don’t make me ask Emily to restrict your visitations.”

That didn’t sit well with the teacher at al. She grabbed Serenity’s hand with her own and tried not to squeeze the life out of it.

“Why can’t you see that  _ I love you _ and just  _ want to be with you _ ?” Stephanie questioned loudly. 

The only thing that filled the air was the sound of the monitors in the room. Serenity looked shocked and it made the teacher wonder if she should have said that out loud so soon. 

“Why can’t you see that I love you, too. I only want you to be healthy for the both of us, Stephanie,” Serenity quietly said back. 

Stephanie could feel everything screech to a halt. She stared at the girl and saw her expectantly looking at her. “You love me?”

“I thought it was obvious,” Serenity whispered. “You’re the only person I’ve stuck to all this time. You couldn’t tell I had a crush on you?”

“I… I saw it from a mile away, but I didn’t think you’d want to be with someone older than you.”

“I didn’t think you’d want to be with someone younger than you.”

Stephanie smiled and felt like a weight was lifted off of her shoulders. “Emily will have a field day over this.”

“Emily already knows and gave us the stamp of approval.”

“What?”

A grin came over Serenity’s lips. “When I made you stay for dinner, she decided to be a  _ mom _ and make sure you were a good fit for me. She had a reason for asking all of those questions.”

“ _ Are _ we a good fit?” Stephanie asked, hesitant to know the answer. 

“Do you really need to ask if I already said Emily gave us the okay?”

“So… we can date?”

Serenity chuckled and nodded. “Given the circumstances, I think Emily can make an exception to making me wait until I’m eighteen for us to date.”

Stephanie lifted Serenity’s hand to her lips and smiled. This was good news after all this time. 

“I hope our first date is less spontaneous than this,” Serenity joked out with a smile. “Now, when Emily comes by you are going to ask her if you can stay at her place to rest.”

“ _ Serena _ .”

“ _ Stephanie _ , go rest! You’ll be here tonight, anyway!”

The teacher sighed and nodded. “Fine…”

“Good!”

\--- 

“Thank you again for helping me make her meals,” Emily said as she continued preparing Serenity’s meals for the rest of the week with JJ by her side. 

Somehow, they fell into this routine ever since JJ would stay the night every so often. If Stephanie was staying the night at the hospital, the two agents would go back to the apartment to prepare meals or activities for the girl to occupy herself with. Tonight was the night where meals would be made. 

“I would do it even if you didn’t ask me to,” JJ responded back, stirring the broth that was on the stove. 

That had Emily thinking back to what Serenity had told her before. Maybe it was time to take care of herself and stop wasting time. Perhaps, this was JJ’s way of expressing her feelings to her. Then again, the woman had a friendly soul, so why misconstrue it?

Surely, if there was any reciprocation of feelings, it would’ve been obvious. 

Unfortunately, Emily remembered that she wasn’t as expressive of her emotions, so what would JJ be reciprocating in the first place? 

“JJ, what did you mean when you said you would always find us?” she asked, biting the bullet. What did she really have to lose? If things weren’t what they seemed, then they could be the adults that they were and move along. However, she did notice that JJ fell silent and was stirring the broth at a much slower pace. “JJ?”

“I  _ will _ always find you and Serena, no matter what,” JJ repeated, never looking back. “It means what it means.”

Emily frowned and turned to face the other woman. “Then… why does it sound like there’s more to it than that?”

JJ stopped moving all together. “Because… there  _ is _ more.”

That piqued the unit chief’s interest. Emily crossed her arms and leaned against the counter, eyeing the blonde for any kind of tell. All she saw was a frozen woman across from her. 

“What do you mean?”

JJ only sighed and appeared to reluctantly face her. “You’re a great profiler, Em… you  _ should _ know what I mean.”

It was Emily’s turn to become frozen. Perhaps, there  _ were _ feelings she expressed which were now being reciprocated. However, they were still playing guessing games with one another. 

“Jennifer, I need to hear you say  _ it _ . I don’t want to assume  _ anything _ , especially with you.”

It was now or never. 

“I have feelings for you, Emily; for the longest time now.”

Silence fell between the two women. They simply stared at each other as the confession filled the air. 

“Emily, if you don’t feel the same way--”

“Why didn’t you ever  _ tell me _ ?” Emily asked almost desperately. “Why--  _ why _ did it have to be Will?”

If there were feelings between them for so long, why did it have to come up now? Why did it have to come up when JJ had a family?

“I thought that I could never have you. Will was there, he was safe. We had the boys, but it hasn’t been working out no matter what we did. And now...”

JJ’s eyes were watery and Emily couldn’t bear seeing that. She moved closer to the younger woman and softly smiled at her. 

“And now?” 

“Now, I just want  _ you _ . I want  _ you _ and  _ Serena _ to be part of my family. Is that okay?” JJ carefully asked, laying her feelings out for Emily to see. “I know it seems out of the blue to be saying all of that right now, but it’s true. I can’t keep lying to myself when it comes to you, and with Serena… I couldn’t see all of us without her.”

Emily smiled at the words being said and wrapped her arms loosely around JJ’s waist. 

“I want you, too, JJ. I want all of us to be a family, so  _ yes _ , I’m more than okay with that,” she said, noticing a soft smile grace JJ’s lips. She pulled the woman into a hug and happily sighed, content with what was happening. 

  
“ _ The soup _ !”


	28. Twenty-Eight

More than two weeks passed since Serenity was admitted to the hospital. Time moved at glacial speeds that it felt like she was there for over a month. Being confined in her bed and room made her restless. There was nowhere to go with her injured thigh and cast on her fractured ankle. All she wanted to do was get some air and move around outside of her room, but it was a lost cause. 

Her body itched to move even if it was aching and sore. She wanted to swing her legs over the bed and  _ stretch _ , but she was sure it would only hurt and possibly burst a stitch somewhere. Movement was all she knew, so this situation was growing to be a problematic one. 

“You’re getting antsy again,” Emily commented, never once looking away from the book she was reading. 

Serenity glanced at the woman and began tapping her fingers on the table in front of her. “I can barely move and I never  _ go _ anywhere, so it’s only fair that I get antsy, right?”

Her fingers continued to tap until Emily’s book gently hit her hand. She stopped and saw a raised brow directed at her. She bit her lower lip and was tempted to do it again, but she thought better of it. Instead, a loud sigh left her mouth. 

“You’ll be discharged soon enough, so try to be  _ patient _ . You could have died, remember?” Emily said, closing her book and placing it on the table. 

“I know, but is wanting to go outside, or getting out of this room, so much to ask for?” Serenity questioned back, shifting in her bed. “I’m tired of being inside these particular four walls.”

“Well, you’ll be glad to hear that you only have a few days left here,” Parker stated as he walked into the room with a smile on his face with another doctor by his side. 

“Oh, thank you, doctor!” Serenity cried out. She felt like she could finally be somewhere that induced less anxiety. “Who are you?” she asked, looking around Parker to get a better look at the other doctor. 

“This is Dr. Arias; she joined me in patching you up,” Parker explained, switching places with the woman. 

“You can call me Sam,” the woman said.

Serenity blinked a few times and extended her good hand to the woman. “How come I’ve never seen you?”

Sam took her hand and carefully shook it. “Dr. Evans is the lead doctor for you, but I have been around and it seems you didn’t notice… or remember.”

The teenager pursed her lips and stared at the brunette doctor, trying to recall who she was. Then, her eyes widened when it dawned on her. 

“Don’t tell me I acted…  _ strangely _ around you,” she said, trailing off very quickly. 

The look on Sam’s face said it all; she was  _ the one _ . 

“I’m so  _ sorry _ if I acted really inappropriately!” Serenity exclaimed, only to hear Emily burst out into laughter beside her. She glared at her mother for a brief moment before turning back to the doctors. 

“It’s no big deal, Serenity; I don’t get propositioned by a prodigy all too often,” Sam joked out, smiling at the girl. 

Serenity winced at the reply and nearly slapped her face with her hand. “How has Steph not killed me, yet?”

“Well, I’m sure she’d like you to be alive,” Sam replied back. “It was one proposition, so I’m sure she’d let it slide.”

“I’d hope so.”

“Anyway,” Parker quickly intervened. “In a few days, you’ll be out of here. Until then, I’d like to keep you inside to prevent any infection, especially with the deeper wounds.”

Serenity was ready to protest, but she nodded. She was close to being home free, so why argue? 

“Got it.”

\---

It was only a matter of time until Cat returned to the hospital to visit. She knew she was making horrible excuses for not going, and it reached a point where both Carter and Kara called her out on it. It had been weeks since she saw the prodigy and everyone was growing tired of it. Carter figured his mother wouldn’t want to see Serenity in her broken state, but so much time passed that it made sense  _ some _ recovery would have been made. So, he enlisted Kara’s help to force his mother’s hand so they could make the long awaited visit and stop sending gifts on their behalf, instead. 

“Miss Chase!” 

Cat pressed her lips together when she saw her son run off to the teacher in the hallway to hug her. She was glad that Carter took to the other teacher, but she was sure it was because of her connection to Serenity. A smile graced Stephanie’s face as she hugged Carter; she was genuinely happy to see him. She shouldn’t have kept them away. When Stephanie looked up to her, she saw the exhaustion in normally shining blue eyes. Guilt passed through her when she thought that she should’ve taken a turn to watch over the girl instead of running away. 

“Hey Steph,” Kara greeted beside her, holding up a small care package. 

“Hey Kara,” Stephanie greeted back. “Hi Cat.”

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it, Chase?” Cat asked, unintentionally shifting her weight from foot to foot. She hoped no one noticed. 

“It has,” Stephanie answered. “She’s been asking about you, wondered how you were, and asked if you visited whenever she was asleep. You’ll be a great surprise to her. You came right before she was discharged.”

Cat nodded and felt guilt rush through her. She felt the nudge at her shoulder and saw Kara urge her to move and follow after Stephanie and Carter. They headed to Serenity’s room and Cat could only brace herself for what they were about to see. 

“Serena, look who’s here to visit,” Stephanie announced as she opened the door and allowed everyone in. 

“Hey buddy,” Kara greeted. 

Cat watched as the girl in the bed sat up and turned her head towards them. She swallowed past the lump in her throat when she saw the uncovered half of Serenity’s face. 

“Kara?” Serenity asked, narrowing her eye at them. “Carter? Cat?”

The principal saw the disbelief in the girl’s face and verbally responded in the positive. She watched as her son approached the bed to sit at the chair facing Serenity’s good side. Kara moved away to place the care package they brought to a nearby space, while she hesitantly followed after Carter. 

“I’ll let you take some time to catch up.” Stephanie stood at the doorway and smiled. “I’ll be back in a bit.”

“Sounds good, Steph,” Serenity replied back before turning to her visitors. 

“How are you feeling, Serena?” Carter asked. 

“I’m feeling a lot better. How have you all been?”

Cat watched as the two interacted and it had her berating herself for separating two children who were like siblings. She felt Kara’s hand on her shoulder, gently squeezing her out of her thoughts, but they only returned to how much livelier Carter became. It was a welcomed change considering how quiet he had been over the weeks. She should’ve known better-- Carter was securely attached to Serenity and always turned to her when he had any kind of problems. As a mother, she should’ve approached this differently.

“Have you started walking, yet?” Kara asked. 

“Kiera, it might be too soon to ask that,” Cat chided. 

“Now,  _ now _ , Cat,  _ Kara _ can ask a very reasonable question,” Serenity retorted back. “I can’t walk with the cast around my ankle right now.”

“Miss Chase said you’re getting discharged soon,” Carter said with a grin on his face. 

Serenity nodded and ruffled the boy’s hair. 

“What have they been feeding you? Or  _ not _ feeding you? I can see your  _ bones _ ,” Cat interjected, earning her a blank look from the girl. 

“Carter, can you and Kara buy me some food? I’ve been craving Japanese food down the street, but  _ no one _ wants to get it for me,” Serenity asked, turning to the boy and assistant. 

“Go on, Carter; you and Kara can use my card and get something nourishing for her,” Cat stated, watching her son reluctantly leave his seat to stand beside Kara. 

“She’s right, bud; Serena looks like a bag of bones.”

“ _ Thanks _ , Kara,” Serenity said in a deadpanned tone. 

“We’ll be back,” Kara replied back with a grin, leaving the room with the teenage boy.

“So, what took you so long to come and visit?” Serenity asked, looking straight at the principal. “You’ve been avoiding me again.”

Cat rolled her eyes and moved to sit on the edge of the bed. She carefully took Serenity’s hand and deeply sighed. 

“I was  _ scared _ ,” she candidly said. “You’ve been out of it for a good chunk of time and looking at you while you’re like this is scary. Have you seen yourself? You look like you’ve been here for years!”

Serenity rolled her eye and asked, “It hasn’t been that long. So, what changed?”

The principal looked down and tilted her head to the side. “Carter. You’re an older sister to him and he couldn’t stop worrying about you. I was wrong to avoid you again. He brought Kara into the picture and they make a very convincing combination.”

Serenity squeezed her hand. “While I appreciated all of your gifts, seeing your faces would’ve been better.”

Cat raised her head and nodded. “I know and I’m sorry. I couldn’t stop thinking about what happened and how you  _ looked _ \-- it still gives me nightmares.”

“You wouldn’t be the only one, Cat,” Serenity softly said. “I still have dreams about everything. Sometimes, when Emily and Stephanie aren’t here, I wake up to getting shot. Nurses come in because my heart rate suddenly spikes.”

“Do they know?”

Serenity shook her head. “I don’t want them to worry about me even more. They’d only feel helpless and I know they’re feeling like that everyday.”

“You know that they’ll eventually find out and question you about it.”

“I know, but for right now I don’t want to add more things to their plate; you can see how tired they are.”

Cat nodded and recalled the dark circles around Stephanie’s eyes. She knew how exhausting it could be to take care of a child who was sick, but she could only imagine what it would be like to take care of a girl who suffered such incredible injuries. 

“So, you brought  _ Kara _ , huh?”

“Carter called her to come with us.” Cat looked away from the knowing smirk on the girl’s face. “Don’t be incorrigible.”

“Hey, I was serious about wishing you two the best.” Serenity adjusted her bed and cleared her throat. “Now, tell me about how domestic you’ve become with Kara.”

“I am  _ not _ \--” Cat saw the raised brow and glared. “ _ Fine _ , it won’t be fun!”

“Says you.”

Cat rolled her eyes and shook her head. What an incorrigible teenager.

\--- 

When Emily arrived in the late afternoon, Kara, Cat and Carter were leaving for the day. She was surprised to see them after what seemed to be radio silence from the principal since the first night. It was obvious that it was a good visit seeing that Serenity was in higher spirits than before, and Cat appeared more at ease. Now, Serenity was taking a nap before dinner time and Emily was there beside her, quietly reading as usual. 

Movement from the bed caught her attention. 

She watched as Serenity shifted in her bed in what appeared to be distress. The girl’s uncovered face was tight, especially around the mouth and eye. Her body moved as if she was fighting someone off, but each action wasn’t big. For the most part, it looked like she was trying to get away from something or  _ someone _ . 

She was about to wake the girl up, but everything slowed down to a halt.

“Hey.”

The unit chief looked up and found JJ walking in with two cups of coffee in hand. She smiled at the younger woman and waited for her to sit down beside her before speaking. 

“I think she might be suffering from PTSD,” she whispered, accepting the coffee handed to her. 

“Is she dreaming again?” JJ asked, glancing at the still girl in the bed. 

“You’ve seen it, too?”

JJ nodded and leaned back into her chair. “You see a lot overnight, Em. We should talk to her about it-- get her help before it gets worse.”

“I agree, but you and I both know she’ll have to acknowledge it first or else making her see someone about it will be pointless,” Emily replied back and saw JJ agreeing. 

“What are we going to do?” 

Emily smiled and took a sip of her coffee. “ _ We _ sounds really nice,” she said, earning her a gentle nudge on the shoulder. “We can only support her while she physically recovers and hope she communicates with us with whatever is happening mentally.”

“We’ll get through this.”


	29. Twenty-Nine

Jennifer Jareau accepted change as it came. It was inevitable and something she knew she couldn’t prevent. Her career was an obvious testament to it. Her relationships were easily the definition of change. Now, her family changed, too, but she didn’t regret it. Change came for a reason and so far it was for the best. So, when she was helping Emily and Stephanie pack all of the care packages and clothes that accumulated in Serenity’s hospital room, she didn’t find it strange to change things up a bit. 

“Are you two going back to the apartment?” she asked while she folded Serenity’s extra shirts and placed them in a duffel bag. She winced at the small blood stains that appeared every so often on the pieces of clothing. They were all due for a wash. 

“Oh, I thought she could come back with me,” Stephanie carefully said. It earned her questioning looks from the two federal agents. 

“I was pretty sure she was coming back to the apartment with me…” Emily trailed off, only to turn to JJ with raised brows. 

JJ caught the older woman’s eye and then turned to Serenity, to Stephanie, and then back to Serenity. She blinked a couple of times before she licked her lips out of nervousness. 

“You could stay at my place-- there’s a spare room on the main floor with a full bathroom. I can take time off of work to take care of you,” she explained, only to see excitement on the girl’s face. She looked up at Emily and Stephanie, and saw them surprised at her offer. She cleared her suddenly dry throat and turned back to the teenager. “I’m due for a vacation, anyway.”

“I’m down to stay with JJ,” Serenity jumped in. She turned to Stephanie with a sheepish smile on her face. “I think Emily might have a heart attack if you and I started living together.”

JJ looked over at the teacher and saw the blush creeping up Stephanie’s face. When she glanced at Emily, a poker face covered her features. She could only imagine what was going on through  _ her _ head. 

“I’m also due for a vacation, too,” Emily interjected.

“ _ Then _ , let’s live with JJ!” Serenity replied back. “Seriously, though, you’re the unit chief; being here is a vacation in itself, you can’t afford to be off work for an extended period of time.”

JJ couldn’t help but chuckle at the words. She saw the disbelief on Emily’s face and clicked her tongue.

“She has a point; you  _ are _ the unit chief,” she said. The look Emily gave her was priceless. 

“So, it’s settled! We’re temporarily moving in with JJ,” Serenity said as if her words were final.

“Wait, now, it’s not  _ settled _ . I didn’t even say yes,” Emily replied back.

“I am  _ not _ climbing a flight of stairs in your apartment just to use the toilet,” Serenity retorted back, defiance lacing her voice. “I want to stay with JJ!”

JJ watched as the two volleyed arguments against one another. She shook her head and sat at the foot of the bed, patting the girl on the foot. “It’s only fair that the one who’s recovering makes the decision. She’s the one who’ll have to make the trek to the bathroom.”

“I’m with JJ,” Stephanie added, raising her hand. 

“ _ Fine _ .”

The younger agent grinned and heard a soft cheer from Serenity. 

This was going to be interesting.

\--- 

Serenity gasped for air as she woke up with a strong start. She heard her monitors going off at the sudden change in heart rate which had her scrambling to remember where she was. It took her several moments to realize she was in her hospital room by herself; one of the few times she was ever left alone overnight. She willed herself to calm down, but it was difficult with the sound of a gun going off in her ears. 

“Just breathe, Serenity.”

The teenager looked to the side and found Sam in the room, urging her to lay back down. Somehow, she was sitting up without noticing the pain in her abdomen. She laid back down and took several deep breaths with the doctor’s guidance. 

“Do you want me to talk to Dr. Evans about this? The rate of your dreams are going up,” Sam quietly said, placing a hand to the top of the girl’s head. 

“It’s getting worse, isn’t it?” Serenity whispered. 

“Only you can answer that,” Sam started. “The rate isn’t changing dramatically, but if the dreams are the ones changing… then I think it’s time for Dr. Evans to know.”

Serenity muttered a curse and closed her eyes. She raised a hand to cover her face; the dreams  _ were _ changing. From being kidnapped, to the showdown in the warehouse, to the bomb exploding, and finally the last gunshots-- the dreams shifted across everything with varying intensities. Some were vivid, others weren’t, but they always led to her downfall. 

A loud bang of metal sounded outside in the hallway which had her flinching hard and scrambling to get further into the bed. 

“Sorry!” someone apologized into the room. 

The girl quivered and cursed loudly as she stared at the ceiling. She closed her eyes and began counting out loud. Each number grew louder than the previous to the point that the entire room echoed with her voice when she reached 20. 

“Okay, you’re okay,” Sam reassured while carefully running her hand over the girl’s head. 

Serenity clenched her jaw and shook her head. Things were not okay. She was  _ not _ okay. 

“Let me call Dr. Evans and have him come over, okay?”

“Yes,  _ please _ ,” the teenager answered back. She continued to shake beneath her blanket and her heart was still racing. 

“You’ll get through this.”

All Serenity could hope for was being able to manage it. 

“ _ Thank you _ , Sam,” Serenity whispered.

“I’ll be right back, okay?”

Serenity nodded and released the woman’s hand, watching her leave the room. She closed her eyes again and took several deep breaths as a familiar sting reached her eyes. No, she wasn’t going to cry over this. She was doing so well in her recovery. 

Except, she knew she had PTSD--  _ knew _ she would be deeply traumatized after all that happened. She  _ knew _ it was going to be a path both her brain and body would take the moment she was kidnapped. Whatever happened next would only seal that fate. How it all ended would leave a lifelong impression on her-- she knew it all. 

She wished she didn’t. 

\--- 

“I don’t know who’s more nervous about this, you or me?”

Stephanie glared at the teenager; it was not the time to be making jokes. 

“I think we’re  _ all _ nervous, Serena,” Emily said. 

She and JJ sat at the side of the bed, while Stephanie was at the foot of the bed. They were all waiting for Dr. Evans to unravel the bandage around Serenity’s head and face. 

“What? Are you all going to leave if I’m horribly scarred for life?” Serenity jested, earning herself a pinch on the leg. 

“Let’s have Dr. Evans do his job,” JJ called out, looking pointedly at the teenager. 

“Thank you, Jennifer,” Dr. Evans said. “Now, if you could move your head forward, Serenity.”

Stephanie braced herself as the doctor undid the clip behind Serenity’s head and began unwrapping the bandage. The further along he went, the more obvious the blood stain became. It had dried, but it was still a large spot against the white of the dressing. 

“It feels really icky,” Serenity announced. 

The rest of the dressing was removed and Sam came in to clean off the area. Stephanie pursed her lips as Sam took her time.. 

“Here, have a look,” Dr. Evans said as he and Sam moved away from the girl. 

Stephanie glanced at Emily before she looked at Serenity. She took in a sharp breath when she saw Serenity’s face. 

“Is it that bad?” the girl asked, looking straight at her with both eyes opened. 

“I would like to say it suits you,” Emily answered with a grin on her face. 

“It makes you look quite charming,” JJ added.

“Y-Yeah,” Stephanie added. 

In front of her was Serenity’s bare face. The wrapped side was lighter in skin tone than the other side, but she knew it would get better in some time. What really caught her off guard was the thin, but obvious, scar that went along from above the girl’s brow, down her eye, straight to her cheek bone. 

It was a welcomed addition. 

“What suits me?  _ Oh _ .” Serenity was given a mirror to look at herself. “I daresay I look very cool,” she said, smugly.

Stephanie simply nodded and cleared her throat, gaining the girl’s attention. She flushed hard at the look, but couldn’t look away. She wasn’t going to let Serenity win this game. 

“Oh, god, it’s a game,” she muttered to herself. 

“What’s a game?” Serenity questioned, innocently. _ Somehow _ , the girl heard her. 

Stephanie could only glare again. 

“So, when am I getting discharged?” Serenity asked.

The teacher released a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. Serenity had taken pity on her. She blinked a few times and turned away only to see the knowing look on Emily’s face. 

  
_ Right _ , Stephanie thought _ , Serena’s mom is an FBI agent _ .  _ Goddammit _ .


	30. Thirty

It was a war of nerves between Sam and Serenity. Stephanie, Emily and JJ were gone for the time being to move a lot of Serenity’s belongings out to the latter’s home, leaving the two alone. The usual friendly smiles were gone and replaced with stern looks that could scare anyone away. 

“You’re getting discharged today, are you excited?” the doctor asked, confidently placing a card down on the table. She was finished her shift and out of her scrubs playing a competitive game of cards with her patient. 

“I would be more excited if I wasn’t having dreams about  _ everything _ ,” Serenity answered back, placing a card over Sam’s. 

Dr. Evans had increased the plausibility of her having PTSD when he came in that ungodly hour Sam called. He wasn’t surprised when they told him about the dreams and their increased episodes. He suggested to see his colleague for a proper diagnosis, to which Serenity agreed, but the entire situation put a damper to her happiness.

“Should I even ask what your IQ is?” Serenity asked as she glanced at the doctor in front of her. 

“You and I are obviously counting cards right now, so feel free to assume what it could be,” Sam responded back with a teasing smile. She caught the girl’s eyes and picked up a card. “So, you and Miss Chase are  _ together _ ?” 

The question had Serenity freezing in her place. She raised a brow at the doctor before putting another card down on the stack and picking one up from the deck. 

“Are you trying to distract me, doctor?” she asked. 

“I could be, but I’m honestly curious to know who is dating my daughter’s teacher,” Sam answered. 

“Wait, who’s your daughter?”

“Ruby, Ruby Arias.” Sam smirked and laid out her hand on the table, revealing her cards. “You’re my kid’s idol.”

Serenity stared at her with wide eyes. “ _ You’re _ Ruby’s mom? She said her mom is a doc--  _ no wonder your last name is familiar. _ ” 

“My daughter may be jealous that I’m your doctor and I get to see you often,” Sam jokingly said, only to frown when the girl revealed her cards and moved the bowl of candy away from her. She lost the round. 

“We’ll make it up to her,” Serenity said with a chuckle. 

“So, when are you going to tell the three women in your life that you have PTSD?” Sam asked, taking the cards off of the table to shuffle.

Serenity fell silent. 

“Two of them are federal agents, and the other is an attorney; someone is bound to find out. The odds aren’t really in your favour,” Sam continued on as she dealt out the cards. She took stock of the remaining boxes around the room and clicked her tongue. “So, Cat Grant knows how to take care of you with all of these care packages.”

Serenity picked up her cards and nodded. “Cat Grant is a good friend of mine.”

“I’m going to assume you and Miss Chase won’t have a problem with her since it looks like you’re on her good side.”

“I’m pretty sure my mother will have something to say about our relationship,” Serenity said with a chuckle. “ _ Thank you _ , Sam.”

The doctor raised a brow. “For what?”

“For everything while I’ve been here.”

Sam bit her lower lip and nodded. “I’ll be here for you if you need me, okay?” 

She meant it. 

\--- 

“You know, you didn’t have to do this,” Emily stated as she hefted the box of Serenity’s necessary belongings in her arms while she followed JJ through her house. 

“It was either going to be me or Stephanie, and I doubt they’re at the stage of living together,” JJ replied back, setting the box in her arms on the floor of the spare bedroom. 

Emily made a sound of acknowledgement as she set her box on the floor. She was glad she didn’t have to hide that relationship from JJ. 

“Do you like Stephanie?” she curiously asked. 

“You approve of her, and after everything that’s happened… seeing how dedicated she is to Serena has me approving of her, too. We were all practically living together in your apartment and it gave me a chance to know her. There isn’t much for me to say.”

“You  _ can _ have a say, JJ,” Emily replied back, placing her hands on her hips. She tilted her head to the side and gathered the blonde’s attention. “You’re allowed to be her mother, too.”

JJ smiled at her and nodded almost imperceptibly. “I’m a little late to the game, aren’t I?”

Emily could only chuckle and shake her head. She could feel the trepidation going through the other woman. “What would that make me, then?” She reached out and placed a comforting hand on JJ’s shoulder. “Serena already considers you to be a mother to her, so don’t run away from it.”

“I won’t,” JJ softly answered. 

“Good.” Emily squeezed the woman’s shoulder and pulled away. She looked around the prepared room and let out a low whistle. “So, how long have you had the thought of letting Serena stay here?”

“A couple of weeks? It wouldn’t be good for her to be in a two floor apartment, Emily,” JJ replied back, unpacking one of the boxes. 

“Was that the only reason?” Emily asked as she watched the other woman move about the room. 

“What other reason would I have?” 

Emily grinned and crossed her arms. “Oh, I don’t know… it could be just a ploy for getting us all to live together.” She saw JJ freeze in her spot. “ _ Oh _ ?”

“There were  _ no _ ulterior motives, Prentiss,” JJ defensively answered, never once looking at her. 

“So, it never occurred to you that having Serena here would also mean having  _ me _ here?” Emily continued on. She moved closer to the blonde and saw the redness crawling up JJ’s neck. 

“Don’t be full of yourself, Em,” JJ retorted back as she moved away and walked out of the room. 

The unit chief followed suit and frowned at the response. She reached out and grasped JJ’s upper arm, urging her to turn around. “Hey, I didn’t mean anything bad.”

JJ continued to avoid her eyes. 

“Hey, JJ, look at me. I’m sorry if I crossed the line,” Emily continued on, lowering herself to catch JJ’s gaze. “Jennifer, talk to me.”

“Did  _ I _ cross the line? I mean, we haven’t gone on a  _ date _ and soon you and Serena will be living with us,” JJ carefully asked, finally looking up. Her eyes were glossy.

“Oh, JJ.” Emily pulled the woman into her arms. “You are  _ not _ crossing the line. Maybe we’re not moving in a conventional way, but what about  _ any of this _ is conventional?” She heard JJ sniffle and felt arms wrap around her waist. 

“I just don’t want to mess this up,” JJ confessed. 

“Me either, but… I think we’ve been dancing with one another long enough.”

“It’s enough to warrant us living together?” JJ asked.

Emily pulled back enough to look at JJ’s face. “You did what you thought was reasonable as a parent. Like I said, we’re going through unconventional circumstances, so we don’t have to follow the rules to the T. As long as we’re all happy, right?”

JJ nodded and leaned back into her embrace. 

“We’re a family now, JJ; there’s no getting rid of us,” Emily confidently said. “There’s no getting rid of us.”

“Good.”


	31. Thirty-One

It was both exciting and nerve wracking for JJ to have Serenity and Emily move into her home, even if it was a temporary situation. She was excited to finally have her family together, but she wasn't entirely sure how her boys would grasp it. She knew they would be happy to have Serenity around, and even auntie Emily, but the real question was, "For how long?" Although Serenity was on the road to physical recovery, she couldn't play with Henry or Michael, but she was sure her boys didn't mind to begin with.

What made her nervous, though, was how Serenity would react to being back into the house where she was kidnapped. No matter what, they would go through that living room from the front door, and the kitchen was right beside it; that living room was in the centre of the house. What about the potential trauma Serenity could relive simply by entering the living room again?

She should've put more thought into the entire situation. She did. JJ ran through all the scenarios, but in the end it came down to what the girl preferred in her current physical state.

Serenity willingly chose her home without any hesitation.

And so far, things appeared to be okay. When Serenity was discharged and brought back to the house, she didn't appear at all affected or triggered to be back there. She seemed fine and ready to roll even if it was straight to the room that was prepared for her.

At first, it was strange to see Serenity in her spare room. It was strange in a good way; she looked perfectly at home as if she belonged there. It was a homely abode to begin with, but Serenity looked like the missing piece of the puzzle. With Emily there, too, it felt right.

"So, Steph mentioned that you two have gotten… closer, recently," Serenity mentioned one afternoon.

The boys were playing in the living room while Serenity, Emily and JJ were in the teenager's room having coffee. JJ glanced at the teenager from above her coffee cup and tilted her head to the side. What did Stephanie say?

"What are you getting at, Serena?" Emily asked, cutting right to the chase.

"Mmm… are you two… together?" Serenity carefully asked, looking between the two women. "You two do seem closer than before."

JJ set her coffee down on the table and sat on the edge of the bed behind Emily. Several snapshots of them together appeared in her mind which made her wonder what Serenity had actually seen. "You could say that," she said, deciding to keep things as upfront as possible.

"Did it really have to take all of these shenanigans to get you two together? Sheesh!" Serenity asked back, feigning annoyance.

"No, but it did help us along…" Emily answered, trailing off with a wince.

"Have you two gone out on a date, yet?"

JJ froze at the question. She briefly thought that she was glad she wasn't drinking her coffee because she was sure she would've spat it out or dropped it. When she regained her bearings, she turned to Emily who turned red at the question.

"No, we haven't," JJ answered. "We had more pressing concerns to handle first." She saw Emily nodding in response and wondered if she was going to calm down anytime soon.

"Mom, you can breathe and chill out… I only asked about a first date, not first time bed stuff," Serenity pointed out, taking a sip of her coffee. She enjoyed the way both women sputtered in response. "Well, you can go on a date now. Maybe not now, now, but you have the time, right? All we need is someone to watch the boys (and me) and you two can have some quality time together! I vote that Garcia and Reid come over to watch us."

Emily sighed and forced herself not to slap her palm over her face. "We'll go on a date when the time comes, Serena; you're still recovering."

"What does that have to do with you two going out on a date?" Serenity questioned back. "You two can go out for dinner and a movie, then come home. The movie can be vetoed, but you get the idea-- you'll both be home to get the boys into bed."

JJ could only smile at the girl's tenacity. "Why are you so adamant about it?"

Serenity placed her coffee onto the side table and looked between the two women. "The tension between you two has been palpable since we met and now that you two are aware of each other's feelings… it's time to do something about it. I'm already in the clear, so stop worrying so much over me."

JJ softly smiled and shook her head. "The time will come when Emily and I go on a date."

"Yes, JJ's right," Emily added. "Right now, we should focus on settling in and getting you comfortable. Things will happen when the time comes."

\---

Sam found herself back in bed, exhausted, after dropping Ruby off at school. It had been a long night and as much as she felt like taking a nap, she couldn't shake off the nervous energy that went through her. After Serenity called her during the night, she lost any sense of sleep. She knew she shouldn't be attached to her former patient, but because Serenity was someone dear to her daughter's heart, she couldn't just move on. Serenity would still come to the hospital for rehabilitation and follow-ups, so it wasn't like the girl was gone.

Then again, she figured a girl as heroic and special as Serenity wouldn't simply disappear into the background.

When her phone began to vibrate, Sam fished it out of her pocket and saw it was Serenity calling her. When she answered the call, she was immediately bombarded with apologies.

"I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! I know I shouldn't be worrying you with my problems. I'm so sorry for calling you last night!"

Sam couldn't stop the smile that crept along her lips when she heard the girl ramble on and on. She shuffled back in her bed until she was leaning up against her headboard, and waited for the girl to stop talking.

"Are you done?" she quickly asked, jumping in when she heard one sharp breath through the line.

"I-- Yeah, I'm sorry about that, too."

"You know you don't have to apologize, Serenity. Not for rambling, or for calling me; I gave you my phone number for a reason. If I can be helpful in your journey of recovery, then I'll be here. You've left an impression on not only my daughter, but to me as well, so don't think you can get rid of me that easily," Sam explained. She hoped she conveyed her feelings as clearly as her words did; she was going to help in any way she could.

"I promise to not take advantage of your generosity."

The doctor could only chuckle and shake her head. "Take up the offer, Serenity; it's there for a reason."

"Serena," the girl immediately responded back.

"Hmm?"

"My friends and family call me Serena. Your daughter does, too; so it only makes sense that you do, too."

"Okay, Serena. What else did you want to talk about? Or was apologizing the only reason you called?"

There was a sheepish chuckle through the line.

"I called to apologize, but I also called to see if you would like to have lunch with me this weekend?"

"Shouldn't you be spending your time resting?"

"Well, I asked my mom if I could have a few friends over for lunch and she said to do it on the weekend. If you're busy… that's okay, too."

Sam winced at how dejected the girl sounded. "How about you text me the details and Ruby and I will come by."

"Are you sure? I don't want you to feel like you have to come."

"I'm sure!" Sam softly smiled. "It's fine, Serena; it gives me a chance to see how you're doing, and gives my daughter a chance to see you."

"You just saw me the other day, Sam."

"And as one of your doctors, I'd like to make sure you're still doing okay."

The faint chuckle of concession had the doctor grinning.

"Okay. It'll be nice to see Ruby, too. I'll see you, then?"

"You will; just send me the details."

"For sure. Bye, Sam."

"Bye, Serena." Sam pulled her phone away and looked at it once the call ended.

How did she become a necessary figure in Serenity's life?

\---

When Emily suggested that they have a group lunch on the weekend, she didn't expect Serenity to invite Dr. Arias and Dr. Evans. She did expect to see the team, but now JJ's backyard was littered with people everywhere. There was the BAU team, there was Stephanie, Carter and Ruby were talking to JJ's boys, and Cat was with Kara and Alex. That left Serenity at the prepared table talking with her doctors.

"So, it looks like the Chinese food will be coming in a couple of minutes… if this tracking is correct," JJ stated, looking up from her phone.

Emily released a sigh of relief and turned away from the window that looked out into the backyard. "I'm so sorry about this; I didn't think she'd invite everyone."

"At least, she gave us a heads up so we could prepare. It also helps that it's a beautiful day, today."

"Again, I'm sorry-- I'll tell her to tone down the invitations if there's a next time," Emily replied back.

"It's fine, Emily. She asked the both of us and we both said yes. It's like… a 'Welcome Home' party, and she invited the people who meant the most to her."

Emily couldn't refute that.

"So, you're saying that this is Serena's home, now, are you?" she asked.

"As long as she wants it to be," JJ honestly answered.

"But…?" Emily added. She could hear it on the tip of JJ's tongue.

"But, I wonder how long that'll be. One day, she could wake up and be uncomfortable with the living room."

Emily reached out for one of JJ's hands and gently squeezed it. "You and I will keep an eye on her, okay? If something is bothering her, we'll know."

JJ couldn't help but chuckle. "I think you're putting our profiling skills on a pedestal, Agent Prentiss."

"I could be, but her two mothers are profilers; we're bound to figure something is up even if she doesn't say it." Emily offered a reassuring smile and saw the blonde smiling as well. "We'll help her… together."

JJ nodded and squeezed Emily's hand. "Together."

\---

"You'll need to be careful if you plan to go back to school, Miss Song."

Serenity sighed when she heard Dr. Evans' words. She knew he was right.

"I know," she whispered. "I just need a sense of normalcy, and going back to school might give that to me."

"It'll be a gamble, you know that," Dr. Evans added.

"Parker is right; going back to high school is one thing and going to Harvard is another. You won't have any of us around if you go to Harvard," Sam said, carefully waving a hand around in the air. "You haven't started therapy for your PTSD, yet," she continued.

"And it'll take weeks until I find someone who'll work with me," Serenity replied back. "This is a gamble I'm going to take, no matter what."

Parker and Sam glanced at each other and leaned back against their seats. It was obvious the girl had made up her mind and it was clear it wasn't going to change.

"Then, at least let your mother know--"

"Then, I won't be able to leave," Serenity quietly snapped back. She looked at the two doctors and refrained from pinching the bridge of her nose in exasperation. "Just… let me do this, please."

"If something happens to you, we will be obligated to tell your mother," Parker stated.

"If something happens, doctor. Nothing will happen."

Serenity hoped to god that those weren't famous last words for her.


End file.
